you, me and this destiny!
by elaize
Summary: They hate each other but can't stay away. When they are finally about to hit it off her past reveals itself in more evil ways than before endangering not just her but everyone one she loves. Just how far is she willing to go to protect her loved ones especially a particular someone...Please read and Review!
1. A fresh start…yet again

My first fanfic (story) ever!

Hello This is my first story and it might even come across as a stupid one because i think i wrote it when i was in school so it's been years and i thought i would just update it no matter what the response i get...Also previously i had uploaded it in one day and hence there were lot's of mistakes...i have edited the whole story (as much as i could without suffering any breakdown) and there might still be some mistakes but i really don't have any strength left to re edit it once again so thank you all for giving this story your time and i hope you like it...

 **PLEASE REVIEW THAT'S WHAT WILL KEEP ME GOING ON**

Here it goes...hope you'll like it :)

 **1.** **A fresh start…yet again**

Cold gust of wind on her face brought her senses back to earth and she opened her eyes in time to her father announcing " _We are here at last_ ".

" _Miyu, bring Ruu with you and honey be careful okay. I'll carry these_ _bags and Yuu, can you carry rest of the luggage please_ " instructed Miki Kouzuki, Miyu Kouzuki's mom. Nodding at her mother she hauled up her baby brother in her arms, her life line. Oh! How she adored her baby brother.

As she got off at the platform keeping her parents in sight she couldn't help wondering at the crowd at Heiomachi terminus considering that it was way over midnight.

'It's just the same Miyu, yet another utterly strange and unknown place'. Her father had been transferred to Heiomachi and she had to leave all her friends & school. She was upset but she also knew that the nostalgia would pass eventually, it always did. Courtesy to her parents' job she never really had a best friend, a lot of friends but No best friends forever. She never really felt lonely though in fact she loved being on her own but sometimes she couldn't help wondering how it would feel to grow up knowing just one place, to have childhood friends stand by your side taking a stand for you. Not that she needed any standing up from anyone but still. 'Guess I'll never know that'.

 _"Hurry up, we got a cab waiting for us_ " informed her father. They made their way to exit through swarms of people. The moment they arrived at the parking a strong scent of fresh rain welcomed them and Miyu closed her eyes to take a deep breath. Nothing lifts her spirits like the scent of first rain on the soil exactly what she needed. 'It's raining cat and dogs here at least explains the cold wind, a perfect welcome' she thought grinning to herself. They hurried into the cab and it started racing down the road towards their new destination, their new house.

 _"It's pretty big"_ she remembers her father when he had informed her about his transfer. Now after a week here she was, about to start her life in a town in a country of another continent, Japan so far away from New York. Sitting next to the window she stared blankly into the darkness of night while millions of memories ran through her mind. She closed her eyes 'like always' she told herself 'I'll be fine' and she was lulled into deep slumber. A gentle tap on her shoulder woke her and she vaguely heard her mom calling " _wake up dear,_ _we're here_ ".

Her father was carrying her brother in his arms. She smiled at the sight of the innocuous sleeping form, an alter ego of when he is up and about. Hardly two, he was a bundle of adorable, stubborn and mischief, lots of mischief like any other toddler. She felt warm with affection for him the first thing to lift her mood in a very long time. She helped her mother in moving the luggage. Heiomachi seemed like a very beautiful town, at least it did on Google and her new house was bigger, she could easily tell the difference even when her eyes were barely open. She left the task of exploring it for later and dragged herself to her room upstairs which she had entitled to herself the moment her father had told her that there was a room at first floor with a small private balcony of its own and a beautiful sight to look over since the house was built on top of a small hill. She fell on the bed & dozed off instantly. Waking up to warmth of the sunlight on her face from the bedside window she blinked several times. She took some time to take in the new environment that is going to be her home for at least next 2 years till she graduates from high school. She looked outside the window and stared at the cherry tree outside in their garden. Great she'll have her own cherry blossom and after some more mindless staring she walked over to the shower.

 _"Good morning mom, dad. Hey Ruu_ " she started playing with her baby brother. " _Miyu is it_ _okay if you start your school right from today? You've already missed lots of classes"_ asked her father.

" _Sure dad, I'll go get ready right away_ " she replied earning that's my girl smile from him in return. After an hour she was ready for her first day at school. Waving to her mom & brother she sat inside the car and her father drove towards her new school, Heiomachi High. She was suddenly nervous despite that the situation was too familiar to be nervous about but it was her first to feel goose bumps.

" _I just hope I'll meet friendly people here_ " she muttered.

" _Oh you'll do fine kid, don't worry_ " her father encouraged her but it didn't go well with her thoughts. She was suddenly impossibly nervous.

'Get a grip girl. You are obviously overreacting. There's nothing to be nervous about, I'll be fine, I always am. I know this, it's my forte' she braced herself mentally. She wasn't bluffing about the familiarity of new places, people and schools, after spending sixteen years at four completely different places this was nothing new. Screeching tires halted her train of thoughts and half an hour later she was in the principal's office, a rather old and baldy man, being introduced to Miss Mizuno, Class In-charge of her new class. Miss Mizuno politely welcomed her to the new school making her feel somewhat less nervous as she followed her to the new class.

" _Please wait here dear so that I can go and inform the class about you"_ she smiled kindly then disappeared behind the doors into the class. After a moment when she heard her calling her name she closed her eyes took a deep breath and went inside.

" _So class this is Miyu Kouzuki and she'll be studying here from now on. Why don't you introduce yourself to the class dear?"_

Miyu turned towards the class " _Hey everyone, I'm Miyu Kouzuki. My parents are Yuu Kouzuki & Miki Kouzuki. They work for NASA, both of them are astronauts. I_ _also have a younger brother, Ruu. I've transferred from New York and I'm really looking forward to my stay here and I hope to make good friends"_ Miyu recited the lines (with occasional changes).

 _"Oh, I'm sure you will dear. Now why don't you go sit next to Mizuki Yamamura? He will help you with everything you need to adjust"_ her teacher said pointing to a guy wearing specs sitting in the corner to her right in the last bench.

Miyu went straight up to him and sat on his left next to the window at least she got a nice spot.

" _Hi, I'm Mizuki_ _Yamamura as you know already_ " he smiled " _I'm the class president and I will be happy to help you with anything any time, just ask for it"._

He was tall and lean with dark brown hairs and black eyes. He was quite good looking, sort of cute and appeared to be really polite.

" _Thank you, I'll definitely need_ _some help with class notes_ " she replied shaking his hand.

The class settled down and everyone started paying attention to Ms Mizuno who was their English teacher, being her favourite subject she listened with all her attention. Time flew so fast that she didn't even notice when the bell rang and asked Mizuki for his notes.

" _Here are my notes. Actually I've got some work to do so will you be okay_ _on your own"_ he asked handing her a bunch of notebooks.

 _"Sure, you carry on with your work"_ she said and started copying the topics that had been covered making a mental note to Xerox it all later. She heard an unfamiliar voice and looked up to two girls smiling at her in a friendly manner.

 _"Hi Miyu, my name_ _is Nanami Tenchi and this is Aya Konishi. Do you mind if we sit here and talk, you know maybe get to know you better"_ she asked.

" _Of course_ " she said instantly.

 _"I think you can complete_ _your work later. We'll help you if you want so how about a tour round the school instead. We could give you one, what do you think Aya?"_

 _"Yeah why not, it'll be fun. What do you think Miyu?"_ asked Aya.

Her reply was instant " _that's really nice of you guys, thank you so much"_ noticing how easily they had offered to help her without even asking for it made quite an impression on her. They were nice enough and the three of them then went through whole school, _"that is our playground; it has all the courts you can think of like tennis, football, volleyball, basketball and whatever else you can think of"_

The sight from the rooftop was breathtakingly beautiful looking over to the distant and diminished outlines of mountains covered with snow. They looked over to the heavily inhabited part of the town at the front and huge forest on the back side of the school. Wind was strong enough to blow their hairs all over their face and their skirts flapping in one direction but none of them seemed to mind. Miyu loved the feel of wind on her skin, it was like a gentle caress and she closed her eyes just to feel it a little longer. Next was the teachers' cabins and Aya pointed out Ms. Mizuno's cabin which looked out to the basketball court from the window and she could look at some guys playing. Next was the new library; new because the older one was now the notorious store room rumoured to be spooky. The music room had every instrument she could think of as she picked guitar and strummed the easiest rhythm she knew; slow waltz. Next was the computer lab, medical room and all other science labs.

" _That's the notoriously isolated corner of the_ _school_ " said Aya pointed to an eerie looking gallery " _our old library but it is unusually dark in there even during the daylight so it was moved elsewhere"_.

 _"People hardly pay a visit so let's follow custom and head over to the cafeteria, it's almost lunch hour_ " added Nanami.

As Miyu tried to recall everything she said " _this school is beautiful and so huge. I'm really excited to study here_ ".

 _"By the way Miyu, you are so beautiful, so cute. I can bet most of the boys are talking_ _about you right now"_ Nanami said in a very nonchalant manner.

Miyu felt herself blushing, she wasn't used to them and gave Nanami a don't-joke-around look.

" _If you don't believe me then ask her. Isn't_ _she cute?"_ and Aya acquiesced " _She's right"._

 _"Stop it guys, it's embarrassing you know"_ she said laughing at Nanami's comical expression " _thank you so_ _much for the trip guys, I really enjoyed it and I had a really good time"_.

 _"Yup me too can we hang around later. You know grab a coffee or something"_ Nanami asked and plans to meet later.

Time went by and school was over for the day. Miyu was waiting for her father at the parking lot which was quite deserted by that time. She suddenly felt arms at her waist pulling her back as a speeding bike passed by barely missing her.

She turned to her rescuer and if it hadn't been for his demeaning choice of words she would have said that he was really good looking but his manners weren't " _Are you suicidal?"_ he asked.

" _I didn't realise I'm so sorry…"_ she said since clearly she was at fault but man this guy really had serious attitude issues.

" _You should be. What on earth were you thinking standing in the middle of the parking lot? If you want to be crushed then go stand in the middle of the road for a better result and spare the school's reputation"_

'What the…How can he possibly talk to me like that?' Anger boiled within her and unable to keep control she said " _listen, I know it was my fault but you don't have to be so rude about it"_.

" _Oh am I being rude now_ " he mocked her " _If you haven't realised it yet then let me inform you that I just saved your neck. You know what, I think I should call that guy back. Maybe after you're knocked out cold you'll be sensible enough to thank me instead of accusing me for being rude. So much for helping someone"_ he shook his head in exasperation rolling his eyes.

 _"What the…"_ she had a remark ready but noticed her father's car. Giving him a look full of hatred she turned on her heels to sit in the passenger's seat and glared up at him from her seat while her father backed the car. She turned away as the car moved farther from the school. She was furious at this stranger and all she wanted was to beat some etiquette into him. She was still very angry when they got home but the moment she saw her brother smiling, running towards her arms raised for her to pick him and as she hauled him into the air the stranger was forgotten instantly without any second thoughts as Ruu's laughter rang in the air.

 **Sneek peek**

She could barely contain her anger and the words were out before she knew it _"if you think it's okay to get hit by a basketball then how about if I hit your stupid face with this ball here, seems fair enough to me?"_

Her sudden outburst stopped him & he turned to face her, eyebrows raised, with a smirk plastered on his face and she felt a sudden urge to wipe it off. _"Do you mean a challenge? Are you sure?"_ he said stressing on you longer than necessary.

She didn't even breathe before answering _"Oh with pleasure, bring it on"._

 **HOW WAS IT?**

 _good? okay? horrible? please let me know :) suggestions and reviews all are welcome!_


	2. The bet

**2**. **The bet**

Six months later she had it all, two best friends she loved dearly and a place she could finally love. Feeling really grateful that for the first time she had made the right choice in moving to Heiomachi not that she had had any choice to begin with but all in all it had turned out really well and she was happiest she had ever been.

 _"_ _Bye mom, bye dad I'm off to school"_ Miyu shouted strapping on her roller skates. School was not too far and she could make it within 10 minutes with enough time to get to her class before the bell rang. She entered the school's premises just before the gates were closed and waved to the gatekeeper who smiled and waved back. She hurried towards her locker, threw her skates in, took all the stuff she needed for the day and ran off to her class reaching just in time as the bell rang. Settling down onto her chair she drank some water as Nanami turned around _"you made it on time again"_ and high-fived her.

She grinned at her best friend and stood up with rest of class to greet their teacher. Schedule of the day was packed with back to back classes and paying attention became one hell of a job. Stifling a yawn she stared outside the window from her very same seat back from her first day with Aya and Nanami sitting right in front of her. She saw some boys playing basketball and noticed a tall guy who seemed oddly familiar. She could tell he was really good, he looked pretty confident with the ball although what differed him from the rest was that he was actually playing unlike most who were busy trying to impress a bunch of giggling girls standing nearby. The bell rang with a sigh of relief from everyone in the class.

 _"_ _What are you staring at Miyu?"_ asked Aya turning around to face her. Miyu startled by her sudden inquisition couldn't come up with any response. Before she could say anything Nanami chipped in.

 _"_ _I know what or who she's looking at. You were checking out the guys from our school basketball team right?"_

 _"_ _I wasn't, besides I didn't even know that they are from school team"_.

" _See, proves my point anyway!"_

Miyu rolled her eyes sticking her tongue at her best friend. _"Oh come on Miyu, you can't avoid boys for forever, hard to believe that you've never had any boyfriend. You must have a list of 'must have qualities in a boyfriend' at least, every girl has one"_

Miyu sighed in exasperation while answering the question for nth time _"trust me Nanami, I've never had any boyfriend & I seriously don't have any type. I'm just not interested- yet" _she added as she saw Nanami bracing up for another round of more annoying questions _"If I ever get a boyfriend, you'll definitely be the first to know, I promise"_.

Nanami could be really annoying sometimes. 'It looks like she wants to hook me up with someone' she shuddered at that random thought knowing Nanami was crazy enough to do just that. But one look at her best friends and she knew she couldn't ask for any better friends, she loved them.

" _So what are you guys planning for this period, it's free"_ Aya asked.

 _"_ _How about playing basketball"_ Miyu suggested. Both of them agreed readily so they headed towards the sports room and then to the basketball court.

Miyu had the ball in her hand loving the way it felt against her palm making her anxious to play. Those guys were still playing and it turned out that the other court was under repair work leaving them with no choice but to share the court. They started playing and Miyu realised just how much she had missed this game. She got carried away and the other two never laid a hand on the ball after that. Aya and Nanami stood rooted, stunned by the sudden change in her game. They knew she could play, she had mentioned it earlier but they hadn't expected her to be this good. Miyu looked like a love-struck person obviously in love with the game and totally unaware of the attention she was gathering through her unintended display.

 _"_ _Whoa girl, stop right there, are you trying to show off?"_ asked Nanami with raised eyebrows in mock disdain _"you never told us that you are the lady Michael Jordan, you traitor"_.

Aya passed her a water bottle calmly; she was better at handling surprises.

 _"Thanks, well I was the captain of 'under 19 basketball team'. It is kind of my favourite way to relax, a way to forget everything else whenever I'm disturbed or distracted. It helps me clear my mind and I haven't played ever since I transferred here. Back then I used to play every day. Guess I got carried away a bit, sorry about that"_ Miyu winked at them. They were suggesting her to give her name for school's captain when suddenly a basketball hit Aya on her head and she fell down crying in pain.

 _"_ _Aya"_ they shouted as Miyu ran towards her and Nanami bent down to help her up. _"Are you alright, does it hurt? Let's take her to medical room"._

 _"_ _I'm fine, both of you stop fretting. I'm really fine, don't worry"_ said Aya trying to convince her anxious friends who weren't listening to her as they tossed her head in every possible direction for any signs of bruises.

After making sure she wasn't seriously hurt, Miyu grabbed the ball which was surprisingly heavy, are these guys using 19th century's version? She turned towards them who now stood in front of her, short tempered as she was anger flared within her and in seconds reached dangerously high level. She glared at them and if glares could kill, all of them would've been long dead. Praying very hard to speak coherently she whispered loud enough for them to hear through gritted teeth " _what the hell were you guys thinking, playing so recklessly. She could've got hurt seriously. I think you all know very well how badly someone can be hurt with ball as heavy as this one. Keep playing like that & you will land someone in the infirmary today"_.

A very tall guy wearing spectacles came forward _"We are very sorry about your friend, trust me it was an accident. We didn't mean to hurt her or anyone else. It wasn't intentional"._

 _"_ _Oh an accident was it, really? You seem to confuse carelessness with accident. Let me tell you what an accident actually is..."_.

 _"Come on now, don't create a scene here. We've apologised for what happened, no harm was meant and none done, so stop over reacting"_ another guy interrupted and stepped forward. He leaned closer to her, bending down to face her at eye level. Damn her short height! He looked annoyingly familiar as he stared straight into her eyes and before she knew it he took the ball out of her hands.

Recognition dawned on her. He was the same annoying guy back from the parking lot, the very guy she was trying to recall previously.

'How dare he take that ball from me without asking? Egoistic jerk! He really does need those etiquette classes. Who the hell does he think he is, royal prince?'

She could barely contain her anger and the words were out before she knew it _"if you think it's okay to get hit by a basketball then how about if I hit your stupid face with this ball here, seems fair enough to me?"_

Her sudden outburst stopped him & he turned to face her, eyebrows raised, with a smirk plastered on his face and she felt a sudden urge to wipe it off. _"Do you mean a challenge? Are you sure?"_ he said stressing on you longer than necessary.

She didn't even breathe before answering _"Oh with pleasure, bring it on"._

Everybody around them stared at Miyu as if she had suddenly sprouted two heads but she didn't care. Even he looked momentarily surprised, perhaps he hadn't anticipated that response from her, giving her a moment to be pleased with herself. Nanami & Aya seemed worried too. By that time, many students had gathered around the court making a very promising audience. The specs guy stood in the middle holding the ball high up in the air.

 _"_ _Are you afraid? You still got time, apologise & I'll let you go, you can walk away with your unblemished self respect no harm will be done"_ he said.

His attitude literally made her bare her teeth at him like savages. She was surprised by the intensity of her hatred towards him as an image of her strangling him crossed her mind. It took all her effort to utter one coherent sentence _"You will be the one to walk away"_

 _"_ _Oh we'll see"_ he smirked.

Miyu gave him a stern look just before the game started. She was giving him a hard time, blocking him from every side. 'So she knows how to play. I cannot shoot from here' Kanata thought and decided to dodge her but he tripped over his own damn feet, somehow managing not to roll over. She was lightning fast to take the advantage and took hold of the ball, dribbling towards the basket shot a perfect three pointer before Kanata could catch up.

Everyone around them was stunned & everything literally went silent for the moment. Miyu turned to look at him with a victory smirk plastered on her face. He looked away from her muttering _"damn it"_. As she heard that her smirk broadened to a wide grin. Leaving him alone in the court to brood over his loss she walked over to her friends who looked stunned but happy.

 _"_ _I don't believe it Miyu. You just defeated the Kanata Saionji. He is the captain of our school team. He must be mad beyond anything right now…nobody has ever defeated him in anything before, nobody but you did it"_ Nanami seemed to be relishing the glorious defeat of Kanata Saionji saying how he finally had an opponent now. But Miyu knew the truth far better; she knew she had won purely by luck. He really is a good player and if he hadn't tripped, well she didn't want to think otherwise.

Nanami was still going on with his bio data _"just imagine being defeated in his forte. He is the star of our school, the heartthrob, most arrogant guy you can ever find...a true devil in skin. But the lucky bastard is gifted; handsome as hell, money, knowledge, talent; name it & he has it. He simply excels at everything."_

The only thing that caught Miyu's attention was the surname Saionji. _"Did you say Saionji? you don't mean…"_ but Nanami interrupted her _"yup, he is the son of that famous business tycoon, Housho Saionji, heir of the biggest and most profit making company in the Japanese history, Saionji's group"._

Well it explained the arrogance but she was shocked. She never expected someone so rich & famous to live such a low life. Of course she knew Housho Saionji, everybody did. He had chains of business in almost every field, travel business was their pioneering business. Housho Saionji was her role model. It was her dream to be a part of his travel firm, to start her own travel venture & what could possibly be the best way of learning from none other than the most prominent person in the industry himself.

 _"_ _Are you okay Aya?"_

 _"_ _Yes, I'm fine"_.

A familiar voice distracted her and she saw that guy with specs again standing in front of her.

 _"_ _Hi, I'm Santa"_ he said eyeing Miyu with alarm _"I'm here to apologise on behalf of all of us. I hope you're not mad"._

 _"_ _Yeah, whatever, just be careful next time"_ Nanami replied before Miyu could say anything. Maybe she was afraid that Miyu would start arguing again.

 _"_ _By the way, they are our batch mates Miyu. You might not have noticed but we have common Math classes"_ Nanami said.

Miyu nodded in response. She was still trying to absorb the identity of Kanata Saionji. Rivalry with the future CEO where she would be working 'Well done Miyu, great way to start your career' she groaned within.

 _"_ _What are you thinking"_ Aya asked her. Miyu snapped out of her trance and blinked several times _"nothing"_

 _"_ _We've math now. I think you should better be very careful Miyu. News usually travels like wild fire and if it is about Kanata then even speed of light is nothing compared to it. You might land in some serious trouble. Kanata Saionji has crazy fan following here & those girls are capable of almost anything. So just be careful"._

 _"_ _Don't worry, I don't think he'll be a problem & those girls, I can very well handle them too"_ she shrugged sounding more confident than she felt.

Suddenly a thought about girls chasing her all around the school campus locking her in the bathroom occurred to her. It terrified her, what the hell she thought shaking away the ominous thought. 'They can't do that, it's a school after all' she reassured herself looking around to see if someone suspicious was looking at her. 'I'm just over reacting' she thought and braced herself for something more dreadful, mathematics class. She hated math, not because she was weak or anything. She was obviously good; topper in fact, all thanks to those astronaut genes but she hated it anyway. Somehow the day passed without much action or drama.

 **Sneek peek into next chapter**

She took a deep breath to calm her racing nerves and stepped inside the room. The room had all sorts of broken furniture, mostly covered with dust.

 _"_ _Looks like nobody ever pay a visit here and definitely not popular among cleaning staff either, I guess."_ She didn't see anyone passing by so what happened next; she was totally unaware. She was locked in before she knew it. She ran to the door yelling _"hey, I'm still in here. Open the door. Is somebody there, please help me"_ her attempts continued for a while.

 **How was it?** terrible? okay? good? let me know!


	3. Rival or friend?

**_Chapter 3. Rival or friend?_**

 _"_ _Good morning Mizuki"_ Miyu greeted him smiling.

 _"_ _Morning Miyu, where are these_ _two?"_ he asked pointing at the empty chairs in front of them.

 _"_ _I've their leave applications for today. Aya had some work to do & Nanami offered to help her and since I couldn't miss any further classes so I had to come"_ she looked genuinely sad.

 _"_ _It's okay Miyu. I won't let you feel lonely"_.

 _"_ _That's so sweet of you, Mizuki"_ she grinned at him.

They had math first today & they were to receive the result of their previous class test. Shinto sensei entered the class and after everyone settled down quickly took attendance.

" _I will be distributing the results of the previous class test and I'm very happy that everybody has performed so well. Well done class, keep up with the hard work. Alright now come & collect your answer papers"_ and he started calling out names. _"Satsuma, Nouzumo, Mizuki… and now for the first time we have two students who have scored full marks, Miyu and Kanata. Well done, both of you"_.

At the mention of his name Miyu's eyes darted in his direction and found Kanata looking at her. Everything from yesterday's game rushed to her mind, she looked away suddenly feeling nervous under his gaze and moved towards her sensei. When she reached out to pick her answer paper, her hand accidentally brushed against his fingers. She looked up to meet a pair of chocolate brown eyes staring at her. She noticed a sudden change in the atmosphere around her, goose bumps were rising on her skin that had nothing to do with the weather. There was a spark between them or whatever and judging from Kanata's reaction she was sure she wasn't over thinking about this reaction.

'Maybe it is because of yesterday's match, after all I defeated him. This is nothing but cold vibes coming from him. But if they are indeed cold vibes then why am I feeling hot instead. Well I never noticed that he is handsome, like really good looking. Wait, now where did that thought come from, stop being an idiot Miyu. This guy has an impossible attitude remember the way he behaved yesterday & earlier that evening.' Looking at him from so close brought back the traces of his arrogance and the atmosphere around her changed again and even Kanata noticed the platonic shift of emotions in her this time pure anger and hatred was directed towards him.

She turned to look away from him and noticed that they were not the only ones who had noticed the first reaction, judging from the looks she was receiving from every girl in class she was convinced that she was doomed. Miyu shuddered and a faint voice out of thin air recalled Aya's warning. She hurried back to her seat and felt gazes following her but she didn't dare to look around this time. She begged for the bell to ring but it seemed like time was enjoying itself far too much not bothering to pass. The clock hands were frozen as minutes felt like hours.

Finally when the bell rang Miyu was out of the door before anyone could even move out of their seats. She rushed to her class and courtesy to her hurry and her preoccupied mind she entered the wrong class. It was more embarrassing that she realised it only after she had walked up to the centre of the class. Apologising for her stupidity she turned back and this time looked for her class with her whole undivided attention.

 _"_ _You look distracted Miyu, are you alright?"_ she heard Mizuki's voice.

 _"_ _Oh, I was just thinking about the assignment we are due tomorrow. I need a reference textbook"_ she hoped he wouldn't notice her attempt to change the topic besides it wasn't a complete lie. Mizuki being the gentleman he was offered to help her _"oh that assignment, you can easily get that book from the store room. I will bring it down for you"._

 _"_ _No you go ahead I'll go get it myself"._

 _"_ _Miyu, you see it's not quite a popular place to visit alone, I'll get that book for you, no worries"_

 _"_ _Its fine Mizuki, I know you are very busy at present. Please don't bother yourself for this too. I'll be fine"_ she reassured him besides she hated owing people favours.

She decided to visit the place during lunch break. She knew where it was. God she had assumed that her friends had been joking about the place but it really was unnaturally dark despite being noon time. _"I should have listened to Mizuki"_ her habit to talk aloud whenever she was alone kicked in _"Okay all I need is to find the light switches, as simple as that"._

She took a deep breath to calm her racing nerves and stepped inside the room. It was full of all sorts of broken furniture, mostly covered with dust and shelves of neglected books.

 _"_ _Looks like nobody ever pay a visit here and definitely not popular among cleaning staff."_ She had not seen anyone passing by so what happened next; she was totally unaware. She was locked in before she knew it. She ran to the door yelling _"hey, I'm still in here. Open the door. Is somebody there, please help me"_ her attempts continued for a while.

Eventually realising they were futile she slumped to the floor with her back to the door. She muttered silent prayers of help as tears threatened to spill. Nobody knew where she was except for Mizuki who would be too busy to notice her absence. She was scared of dark and was now at brink of crying. Her eyes were flooded with unshed tears when she noticed a faint light in front of her. She blinked several times just to shout _"you! This is your idea of revenge, how pathetic. How dare you lock me in a place like this? Get me out of here, right now!"_

 _"_ _Hold on, don't accuse me and haven't you noticed that I'm locked in too. I don't fancy being locked, not with you at least!"_ Kanata looked irritated. But Miyu was raging _"who the hell you think you are. You can't get away with locking people like this. You just wait & watch, let me get out of here and I'll make sure you get a hard time for this". _

_"_ _Are you really that thick headed to realise that I didn't lock you here, why would I make it obvious if I did it? Don't you get that this is your own mistake"_ Kanata retorted, equally furious.

 _"_ _What do you mean my mistake?"_ she shouted at him. How dare he blame her.

 _"_ _Don't tell me you have not figured this out yet. You got locked up because you came here all alone despite of what happened yesterday. As for me, I'm stuck because I happened to be in the wrong place at wrong time"_ he shouted back.

Bewildered by his words she glared at him. She clapped her forehead as she realised what he meant _"damn your stupid fan club!"_

 _"_ _Finally the truth"_ he sighed.

How could she be so naive despite of Aya's warning? But what kind of fans locked people in abandoned store rooms and such hard core fan following for this jerk. _"We'll get out of here soon so you don't worry okay"_ he assured her and was almost polite.

Now why would he care? Unless she must look more terrible than she felt. 'At least I'm not all alone here'. No way would she ever accept that in front of him.

 _"_ _Aren't there any lights"_ she asked.

 _"_ _Nope, nothing we can do right now"_ he answered as he sat down next to her. _"I've tried most of the numbers but they're all out of coverage area, no reception here. We don't have much choice but to wait for someone to find us eventually. You're not claustrophobic, are you?"_

Miyu ignored him completely. Why me of all the people she asked herself. Of course the reason was sitting right next to her. He kept his mobile between them for some source of light.

 _"_ _How can you tolerate such crazy drama? Aren't you scared of them? They seem to pose greater threat than professional goons. You're quite brave to move around without any security"_ she remarked. She looked morbid. He chuckled at her expression. His response caught her off-guard. She looked at him, confused about what was so funny.

 _"_ _You make it sound like they're criminals, they're just a bunch of crazy girls. They are harmless & someday they'll realise their stupidity eventually. They go over the board sometimes but they don't mean serious harm, at least not to me"._

Serious harm! What could be more serious than this? But she bit back the retort. She knew he had answers to all her problems but then he was the reason too, arrogant jerk.

The temperature within the room dropped gradually and Miyu shivered not because of the temperature but from the darkness. 'It's probably past sunset' he thought as they waited in silence for the rescue to arrive and after sometime he felt her head on his shoulder as she absentmindedly sneaked closer to him falling asleep.

Kanata looked at her face which was much closer than he had anticipated. She looked calm while sleeping, at odds with her short-tempered self. His fingers itched to touch her skin, bet her skin was smooth like feathers. It looked so soft and her small mouth was surprisingly tempting from the proximity. He tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, careful not to wake her up. Kanata felt completely strange for the moment. If he had been with someone else in a situation like this it would've pissed him off to hell and back but for some reason he wasn't irritated at all, some irrational part of him was actually glad to be here.

'What the hell, she is far too annoying for my taste'. But the peace he felt was something he hadn't felt since long.

'This is not right, I can't let myself feel like this…' his mobile beeped. It was a message from Santa, saying he would be there soon.

Soon enough he heard footsteps approaching and gently tapped Miyu to wake her but she merely opened her eyes blinked twice and went back to sleeping again. It looked like she had had a long night yesterday and wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Having no other option left he picked her up in his arms right when the doors flew open. He saw an anxious looking Santa who was no longer anxious. Instead he looked smug and Kanata sighed again thinking he will never hear the end of this ever.

Santa was not just his best friend but was like his brother. He was the only person Kanata actually cared for because they were childhood friends, the only reason why he endured his daily nonsense. Kanata followed him out to his car. Santa opened the door as Kanata gently laid Miyu on the passenger's seat. He closed the door and turned to ask Santa if he needed lift.

" _No, you carry on, I've got my bike today. Here I brought your bags and give her this book. Mizuki pleaded me if I could drop by her place to give it to her. He was being really pushy so I agreed to help. You know her place right. Just turn to your right at the corner, its right up the slope, the big white one"_.

Kanata nodded of course he knew her place after all she was the daughter of famous NASA astronauts. He had watched her skating to school so many times before. He waved to Santa and drove towards Miyu's house. He got there in next to no time and thought of waking her up but one look at her and he gave up. She seemed too sleepy to wake up even now. He doubted if she had slept last night at all. Somehow he managed to ring the door bell with her in his arms and was greeted by an anxious Yuu Kouzuki who almost shouted just before Kanata shushed him _"she's just sleeping, don't worry"._

 _"_ _Oh! Alright, come in son. If you don't mind then can you carry her to her room, it's on the first floor upstairs. I've got to inform her mother. She was so worried that she went out for a stroll, hoping to find her on her way back"_ Kanata nodded  & went to her room.

He laid her down on her bed & looked around. Her room was very untidy. All her clothes & books lay strewn everywhere on the floor. There was a guitar at the corner near a rack full of novels and music CDs. Most of the books were adventures & mysteries, a few love stories and horror stories too and lot more.

'Impressive collection' he thought. Although her room was a bit untidy for a girl but it was beautiful in its own way. It was nothing like a typical room of a girl, tidy or pink or stuffed toys not that every girl has a thing for pink but still it seemed almost like a guy's room, no wonder she's so aggressive. The pale blue wallpaper had a soothing effect and her room had a strange homey feeling attached to it.

He looked out of her bedside window and cursed looking at the night sky. He rushed back to the living room where he was greeted by Miyu's father.

 _"_ _Thank you so much for bringing my daughter home, I'm Yuu Kouzuki"._

 _"_ _I know you sir, who wouldn't recognise a famous astronaut as you. I'm Kanata Saionji & I'm sure you must want an explanation". _

_"_ _Well yes I do but first don't mind me asking are you Housho Saionji's son"._ Kanata nodded and then he told Yuu everything about getting trapped in the room glazing over the reason behind it.

 _"_ _Please excuse me sir but I'm getting late. I should leave now"._

 _"_ _Okay thanks once again for helping her. Please do stop by sometime, I would like to thank you properly son"_ Yuu walked Kanata to his car as he turned to leave. Kanata knew exactly what might happen if he didn't get back in time. Wanya would be terrified by now and he wouldn't wait any longer to call the commissioner and in no time there will be a whole search force, marching through the town in search of him. Kanata drove to his house as fast as he could, nearly jumping signals at few places.

 _"_ _Master Kanata, where have you been? I was so worried"_ Wanya shouted the moment Kanata entered the house.

Wanya, his care taker was like a father figure to him since his father was never home but he worried too much. Kanata looked at the phone in his hand and sighed in relief. Perfect timing he thought smiling to himself. Wanya's so predictable.

" _I've told you many times that I can get late because I've got practice sessions to attend then there are presidential duties to take care of. And for heaven's sake will you stop bugging that poor old commissioner every time I'm late!"_

 _"_ _I was not going to call him"_ Wanya said innocently, quickly hiding the hand carrying the phone behind his back _"why don't you go take a bath and I'll prepare the table, Dinner's ready"_ he rushed back to the kitchen while Kanata headed to his room shaking his head thinking that some people never change. He showered while thinking about the day's events. Surprisingly there hadn't been any hostility between him and Miyu despite of yesterday's match.

'She is definitely different'. After all no one has ever defeated him in anything but she somehow managed. He couldn't stop thinking of the way her head had fallen onto his shoulder and the way she had in his arms. She isn't like the rest of the girls; she's always pissed at him for the starters not the typical reaction he receives from opposite sex. He simply couldn't stop thinking about her. He changed into his PJs and went downstairs for dinner. After dinner, in his room he was still thinking about her.

'I've got to get her out of my head. I need to distract myself and I need to do it fast. She can't invade my mind just by being cute and defeating me by luck and evening scores with me in math test. I'm the Kanata Saionji after all, I don't think about girls instead it's the other way around; it's always been the other way. I need to stop thinking about her. Obviously the reason I'm thinking about her is because she is the only person who has ever challenged me in anything. And won.'

He ignored that little comment by his sub conscience. Some part of him knew he was just kidding himself, trying to reason with himself why he was thinking about her. He tried to fall asleep and despite his attempts that night he dreamed of a girl with deep brown eyes which appeared almost black, a girl who was affecting him in a way he never thought was ever possible again.

 **sneek peek into next chapter**

 _"_ _Listen you stay away from Kanata. I'm his girlfriend & I don't want you anywhere near him in 100 meters of radius, you get that. If I ever spot you near him then that won't be good for you"_ she gave her a warning look & moved back to her seat. Miyu was tongue-tied and stared at her like an owl. Then her eyes darted to Kanata who looked irritated sitting right behind his girl friend next to Santa. She burst into laughter and Aya & Nanami gave her a look that said maybe Nanami was right about Miyu losing her mind.

 **how was it?** terrible?okay?good? let me know!


	4. Saionji's Girlfriend

**Chapter 4 Saionji's girlfriend**

Miyu woke up with a start. She looked out of the window and couldn't tell if it was morning already. She looked at her alarm clock to confirm, yup its 4 in the morning. Her mind went back to the dream that had awoken her, a very strange dream indeed. She had dreamt of Kanata Saionji carrying her in his arms and that he was caressing her cheeks. All of a sudden blood rushed to her cheeks making them warm.

What a strange dream she thought as she went to bathroom to shower. She appeared with a towel wrapped around her damp hairs and sat down to complete her assignment. She began to write but instead found herself staring at the blank paper as the events from yesterday flashed through her head. Somewhere deep within her subconscious mind knew that it wasn't a dream, that it had been real but she was too stubborn to acknowledge any gratitude towards him not wanting to change his arrogant image. She thought of the strange feeling she had felt at his touch. His touch had sent chills down her spine and had made her mind restless, something she had never experienced before. Something that was difficult to fathom. No wonder she had been in such a rush to escape from that class yesterday. He's driving me insane.

 _"What am I thinking?"_ she berated herself and prayed to god for an hour of lucidity so that she could complete her assignment.

As she was early today so she walked over to school & was among the first ones to arrive. Staring at thin air from her window seat she felt the soothing quiet of school unlike the usual commotion.

 _"_ _You're early today, don't like staying at home?"_

Miyu recognised his voice instantly, not a good sign she thought. Hard to believe as she merely knew him from like 2 days.

 _"_ _So are you"_ she said turning towards him.

He really is handsome. How could someone look like that in a plain school uniform was something beyond her ability to comprehend just a plain white button down shirt and dark navy blue trouser with maroon tie & yet he managed to look like a movie star as he moved to sit on the desk in front of her.

 _"_ _Did you sleep well yesterday"_ he asked.

Never better, not to forget the dream! She thought but she didn't have to mention that in front of him & to hide her embarrassment she snapped _"Since when did my sleep deprivations become your matter of concern"_.

 _"_ _Hey I am just trying to be friendly here"_ he seemed surprised by her retort. She felt guilty for being rude, after all he had rescued her  & dropped her home. God knows what might've happened if he hadn't been there. She was being a jerk now.

 _"_ _Sorry, thanks for helping me yesterday"_ she said softly and smiled at him.

Heck! How did she do that, she looked so genuine, so cute that his mind went blank for a moment.

 _"_ _No problem"_ he mumbled trying to hide his reaction. Miyu grinned at him. This time he was prepared  & looked outside the window just in time, before her smile could cloud his mind again.

 _"_ _I wanted to give you this book, I'm sorry I forgot it yesterday. Did you complete your assignment?"_

 _"_ _Yup I did but how do you know about the assignment you're not in my class"_ she asked him.

 _"_ _Mizuki was desperate enough to make sure you get this book yesterday that he pleaded Santa to stop by your place to hand it over. Despite the entire work load he has, he remembered to hand it down to you. That explains the importance of the book which obviously means an assignment because isn't every book precious when it's about assignments"_ he explained.

Miyu was surprised, he had actually bothered to think about such trivial matter, No wonder he's smart.

 _"_ _Are you thinking of becoming an Analyst or something"_ she asked him. _"Honestly did I sound that good or rather I take it you are easy to impress. I mean anyone can do that, anyone with subnormal intelligence but normally people don't pay attention to trivial facts around them"_ he said.

There he goes, back to being that narcissist jerk _"How can you say that Mizuki was busy, knowing him I can tell that he was just being his usual self, helpful as always"_ she asked annoyance clearly dripping from her tone.

" _Mizuki isn't the only class president in this school. I know he is busy because I've got the same work load"._

 _"_ _Then why are you loafing around, don't you have anything to do"_ she said clearly irritated.

 _"_ _I finished my work ages ago"_ he said trying to keep a straight face amused by her sudden petulance.

 _"_ _Why don't you go back to your own class then? Thanks for your help but I can take care of myself and now on you don't need to bother yourself with helping me again"_ she snapped at him.

 _"_ _For your disappointment we have math now so you'll have to bear with me"_ he replied amusement dancing in his chocolate brown orbs. Miyu shrugged her shoulders indicating that the conversation was way over.

'She is cute when mad' he thought and made his way back to his seat.

He wasn't trying to jerk around but then she brought the worst out of him another reason why he needed to keep his distance from her. Usually girls would do anything just to catch his attention but Miyu on the other hand was oblivious to his charm even when he was kind of trying to impress a bit. Obviously she is not like the rest. His cool attitude annoys her instead of impressing her and her expressions are priceless. He thought it was worth it to piss her off just to see the slide show of emotions on her face starting from irritation leading down right to when she wants to strangle him. God, she was getting under his skin without even trying but he couldn't let this go on, no he couldn't go there again.

Miyu was muttering words similar to jerk, idiot, self obsessed when Nanami greeted her. _"Good morning Miyu, You're unusually early today. Did your parents kicked you out"_ then she stopped abruptly realising her comment was too direct for her since she always end up being abandoned by her parents and spent most of her time alone. Nanami started to apologise but Miyu wasn't listening. She kept staring at the seat in front of her, usually occupied by Nanami whose previous occupant had somehow managed to annoy her even before her day began and funny how the present occupier was following suit, she laughed at the irony.

Aya and Nanami looked bewildered by her lack of speech and asked her if she was alright. Watching her best friends' worried faces made her guilty for ignoring and it wasn't their fault that she wanted to strangle a certain brunet.

 _"_ _I'm so sorry guys, it's just that something"_ or rather someone she thought _"was bothering me"_.

 _"_ _It's alright Miyu, thank god I thought you were losing it, laughing to yourself like that"_ Nanami said.

 _"_ _What's wrong Miyu, you can tell us, maybe we can help"_ Aya asked her. She was the compassionate one among them.

 _"_ _It's nothing but I've one hell of news for you guys"_ and she told them everything from yesterday leaving out that Kanata had carried her in his arms, it was too embarrassing or maybe not even real to share. Judging from their faces which had not even a trace of surprise, she suddenly felt an urge to defend herself and said _"Whatever you guys are thinking but one thing is certain, Kanata and I are completely off limits, opposite poles of a magnet - which attract"_ Nanami added drily _._

 _"_ _Excuse me, Are you Miyu Kouzuki?"_

Miyu looked up to a beautiful girl she had never seen before. Unsure of what this girl wanted from her she replied with a slight nod. _"So you're the girl who challenged Kanata"_ she asked her. _"Yeah"_ okay where is this going now she thought.

 _"_ _Listen you stay away from Kanata. I'm his girlfriend & I don't want you anywhere near him in 100 meters of radius, you get that. If I ever spot you near him then that won't be good for you"_ she gave her a warning look & moved back to her seat. Miyu was tongue-tied and stared at her like an owl. Then her eyes darted to Kanata who looked irritated sitting right behind his girl friend next to Santa. She burst into laughter and Aya & Nanami gave her a look that said maybe Nanami was right about Miyu losing her mind.

 _"_ _She's so funny. What makes her think that I'm after that jerk and seriously, 100m radius! Is she dumb, we're in the same class right now! What? You don't think that's funny?"_

 _"_ _Miyu it's about time you know about Christene Hanakomachi, Kanata Saionji's girlfriend"_ Aya told her. She looked so serious that Miyu stopped laughing.

 _"_ _Oh by the way, she wasn't bluffing. Christene is practically capable of doing or rather destroying anything when it comes to her trophy boyfriend Kanata"_ Nanami said gravely.

Their grave faces made her shiver as she thought of yesterday's endeavours, nothing was funny anymore. Christene Hanakomachi turned out to be the only successor of Hanakomachi corporations, zillionaire parents, characteristically very kind & friendly but she is extremely possessive about Kanata. She has an inexplicable tendency of destroying (and then repairing it later) anything whenever she spots Kanata with any other girl. Rumour has it that her tenacity was holding him back from breaking up with her.

Great! This is just what I needed, an extremely over possessive girlfriend of a jerk whose mere presence pisses me off, seriously I doubt if I like Heiomachi anymore.

Miyu knew whom to avoid and she was extremely well at the job. She didn't need any drama and kept out of his matters as much as possible. But avoiding him wasn't an easy task. They were both equally good in studies and sports. Eventually after realising this his fan club stopped bugging her and she was glad. She hated him & the feelings were mutual. They hardly talked, avoiding each other as much as possible. They could never have a straight conversation without arguing.

Sadly there were times when she was utterly confused and didn't know what to think of her current position. He annoyed her and she couldn't hate him more but his absence always made her anxious. She had no idea how it was even possible but she was always somewhat eager to talk to him even if they wound up arguing later. Her heart raced whenever he was around. She had no idea why was she behaving like that around him so she kept it to herself trying hard not to be anywhere near him but it was difficult and sometimes impossible as they had to often work together since their teachers preferred them over others. Despite that they were still where they had started, he was still a jerk and she still hated him. Sometimes she thought if she was doomed to cross paths with him despite her efforts to stay away.

As she sat in the playground beneath a tree with her friends who were discussing about some ongoing sale she found herself looking over to the boys practising basketball faraway. Her eyes like always found the only person she was entitled to avoid. Looking at him strangely made her feel as if she had some sort of connection with him tugging at her heart. Okay that was straight from some romantic novel but really she did feel strange around him, good strange.

 **Flashback**

 _Damn! I'm late again. God I need to wake up early from tomorrow or I'll land in trouble for consistently being inconsistent. Miyu ran to her class mentally berating herself. "I'm so dead today". She ran faster now. "That's the shortcut, I can cut the time" she took a sharp turn from the corner. She crashed into someone and losing her balance prepared to hit the floor closing her eyes shut. Instead she found herself being whirled around as she fell on someone, strong arms snaked around her breaking the impact of the fall. "Oh god I'm so sorry" she opened her eyes to look and a familiar pair of brown were eyes staring back at her. Time froze and the world shrank in the background as she lay in his arms, her face right in front of his. She took in his stark features as he stared at her. His face was too perfect, too handsome to be real. His exquisite deep brown eyes made her feel like she was drowning into them. She snapped back to reality suddenly realising the proximity; his lips were merely millimetres away from hers. "um thanks" she said as she stood up and felt Kanata's burning gaze on her back whole way as she hurried to her class. She opened the door to find her sensei half way through introducing the topic and apologising she went straight to her seat._

Her attempts to avoid him were costing her great measures of self control. _"Miyu do you want go shopping, I definitely need a new dress"_ Aya asked.

 _"_ _Sure, when"_ she asked. She was running short on novels and the idea of shopping was a welcoming distraction. The idea of buying new books made shopping very much inviting  & she felt excited about something in a long time. _"This Sunday then"_ Nanami said happily.

 **how was it?** terrible?okay?bad? let me know!

 **Sneek peek into next chapter**

She imagined herself strangling him. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, praying god for some composure. _"_ _I fell, he caught me. End of story. Would you care to explain the intimacy in this situation"_ she replied, her voice shook with anger.

 _"_ _You don't want to know"_ he replied, his voice strangely cold.

How dare he say that? How can he be so rude and impassive? She was starting to believe that he was nice despite of his stoic demeanour. Despite of behaving like a cold hearted arrogant bastard he seemed like a caring person in his own way. Past these days she had been thinking of him a lot, trying to figure out her feelings for him.

'I wasted my time thinking he could be a better person. I was a fool to think that. I know now how I feel for him, pure hatred and nothing else. Someone who can't respect girls can never be a nice person'.


	5. A perfectly messsed up day

**Chapter 5 A perfectly messed up day**

 _"_ _Miyu get up honey or you'll be late for your outing. Your friends must be on their way here"_ her mother shouted from downstairs.

No not shopping, why on earth did I agree to it, then an image of brand new novels flashed in her mind & she sat up. She had heard a lot about the bookstore at the mall that it was the biggest in town and had books of all genres. She kicked her sheets and went straight to her bathroom.

 _"_ _Good morning everyone!"_ she said sitting down for the breakfast. She was wearing a red skirt that ended over her knees  & white coloured cotton full sleeved button down. She had kept her hairs straight and down with a pair of black wedges, she wasn't that tall just 5'2. A black belted wrist watch on her right hand and a black handbag from across her shoulder resting on her left hip were her only accessories. She was all dressed up for the occasion probably a little too dressed.

 _"_ _Our guests are here"_ announced her father as he walked in her friends following him. _"Morning everyone"_ said Nanami in her usual chirpy tone and Aya followed suit.

 _"_ _You look hot Miyu did you dress up for a date? You will be catching everyone's eye"_ Nanami said as they walked down to the nearby bus stop.

 _"S_ _o will you guys, I won't be surprised at all if a cute guy asks anyone of us out for a date today"_ she winked at them. The trio was definitely an eye candy as they headed for the plaza chatting as usual, pumped with excitement. Everyone seemed to be in a very good mood and the weather was perfect for an outing. The moment they entered the mall Nanami literally dragged them to the girls' corner.

After endless hours of trials they finally bought some lovely clothes to relief of the sales guides who were starting to get annoyed with them fooling around. It was almost lunch time when they were done with the shopping and headed towards the food corner. Shopping sure is exhausting as they were starving. They entered McDonalds only to find the place cramped with people. Miyu decided to head toward the bookstore instead and asked her friends to go ahead and place their orders. _"Cool, we'll save a place for you then"_ Nanami said. _"What do you want for lunch we'll place your order just try to make it a quick trip"_ Aya asked her.

 _"_ _Thanks, just order anything you like. I'll be back soon"_ and with that she vanished among the crowd. She knew that the store was built underground. The place must be vast if it is covering the whole basement she thought as she stepped into the elevator. When she stepped out she immediately knew why everyone had recommended this store.

Thousands of books stood in front of her stacked onto hundreds of shelves in the racks that were tall like buildings. There were markers all over place in between the rows and columns flashing the genres of books. The whole basement of this building, as she had guessed, was built into the biggest book store she had ever seen, literally the largest in expanse and likewise in number of books. The store was well updated as there were books by new authors as well. It was a perfect bliss for any bibliophile like her. Merely looking at so many books under one roof made her ecstatic. She somehow managed to refrain herself from running around like a four year old and made her way towards two of her most favourite genres, adventures and mysteries. There were so many racks exclusively for them. She wanted to reach out to each and every book piled in these racks but that would mean breaking her promise of making it a quick & short trip.

'I can spend my whole life here' she thought as she started to move around to find some promising books. She picked up a few of Agatha Christie & hardy boys. Grabbed some of the Nancy drew series and she looked around for Doyle's Sherlock Holmes sighting a few volumes in the topmost shelf. No way would she be able to reach them standing on her toes, they were too high for her. She looked around for help and spotted a staircase kept solely for that purpose. She hurriedly dragged it to herself, adjusted it to the shelf she wanted and climbed up. She looked around for the one she hadn't read yet. After minutes of digging through familiar covers she finally chanced upon an unfamiliar cover. She reached for the book but it was a few inches away from her finger tips. She tried standing on the edge of the staircase and then reaching for it, barely managing to brush her finger tips on the cover. She carefully leaned forward trying to balance herself managing to get hold of the book but her heel slipped off the edge and she found herself falling along with the book. Her eyes closed instinctively in fear as a scream escaped from her lips. She expected to hit the floor hard but she never made it. Once again instead of crashing on the floor she landed upon someone, déjà vu overwhelmed her soon after the hysteria had passed. She stared down at Mizuki and sighed deeply in relief.

 _"_ _Hey Mizuki, what are you doing here?"_

 _"_ _I saw you and thought of saying hello. But thank god I made it in time, what were you thinking pulling such a stunt! You could've ended up with broken limbs or worse, a broken neck. That balancing act literally gave me a heart attack. I thought you were smart enough to know that that book was out of your reach but apparently that is not the case. Think of the possibilities if I hadn't been here. Seriously Miyu that was very immature of you"._

 _"_ _Okay I get it and I'm sorry. I know that it was stupid of me to behave like that but please stop scolding me. You make me feel like I'm in kindergarten"_

 _"_ _Your actions do suggest likewise though"_ he said smiling at her and she smiled back knowing she was forgiven.

 _"_ _Oh god, I forgot to get up. I'm so sorry, I'm not really that lightweight"_ she started to get up when she heard a familiar voice.

 _"_ _Privacy doesn't bite you know. Don't know about you two but I do have a repute to maintain. If not for yourselves then for sake of others, go get a room"_

 _"_ _Are you with him?"_ she asked Mizuki, completely ignoring Kanata. Their rivalry was not exactly a secret, whole school knew about it. When Mizuki looked apologetic, she asked _"Is there something bothering you?"_ finally deciding to acknowledge him.

How could she ever let that comment slide? Not when he was mocking her in public surrounded by civilians. _"Nothing much really, I was just reckoning some pros of privacy. It's a public library, guess you didn't know or you wouldn't be distracting people with your intimate PDA session"_ he said, shrugging as if he didn't care.

She imagined herself strangling him. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, praying god for some composure. _"I fell, he caught me. End of story. Would you care to explain the intimacy in this situation"_ she replied, her voice shook with anger.

 _"_ _You don't want to know"_ he replied, his voice strangely cold.

How dare he say that? How can he be so rude and impassive? She had begun to believe that he was nice despite of his stoic demeanour. Despite of behaving like a cold hearted bastard he seemed like a caring person in his own way. Past these days she had been thinking of him a lot, trying to figure out her feelings for him.

'I wasted my time thinking he could be a better person. I was a fool to think that. I know now how I feel for him, pure hatred and nothing else. Someone who can't respect girls can never be a nice person'.

 _"_ _I want you to tell me exactly what did it look like"_ her voice flat.

 _"_ _Miyu you don't have to listen to this, let's go"_ Mizuki stepped in between them and grabbed her hand but she jerked her hand free and glared at Kanata.

Kanata raised an eyebrow " _If you insist then let's see yeah, you were all over Mizuki, looked like you were seducing him or kissing him or whatever I really don't care. Your hair was over his face and his arms all around your waist"._ 'I think I'll spare you my comments on your legs though' he added mentally 'god I'm being a jerk but I have to do this' and so he continued _"a girl wearing clothes like that all over a guy on floor in a compromising position in a quiet corner of a public library…you don't need a genius to guess what's going on"_.

His harsh words hit her like a slap, his contemptuous words ringing in her ears. Her anger spiked to a point that she wanted to cry. His words hurt her more than she had thought. God was it just a few days ago that she was wondering if she liked him and now what?

She should have known, she knew every guy is a bastard had learnt that hard way but still she had let him crawl under her skin. She went cold as tears threatened to spill.

 _"_ _I hate you Saionji"_ her voice was empty with nothing not even hatred as she turned away from him. As her tears fell down her cheeks as she got into the elevator, she wanted to go home but her friends were waiting for her. She could not abandon them like that. Blinded by the tears she somehow managed to make her way back to her friends.

As for Kanata, he had not expected her to react differently and for the first time her reaction didn't surprise him. _"You really crossed the line Saionji I never thought you could be this cruel. You never give a shit about others then why? God I really thought you were a nice guy despite your cold behaviour. I was wrong I was so wrong"_

He heard Mizuki walk away from him. He hadn't meant what he had said not even a word. He had been relieved that she was safe even if it was Mizuki who saved her but watching her all sprawled over Mizuki had made him feel like punching something hard and watching them exchange pleasantries instead of getting up made him anxious, he had to do something to draw them apart even if it included being an oblivious unemotional arrogant jerk. It was that sudden spurt of anger that had made him make that remark on privacy.

Then he realised this was his chance to drive her away and he succeeded but making her cry that was never his intent. Somehow he could never imagine himself hurting her but he is sure he saw tears in her eyes & now he felt terrible. He started to follow her and apologise but stopped himself from doing that. He had been deliberate with his words he realised she was falling for him and it was not possible, he couldn't picture himself with anyone again, never again. He knew this was his only chance to make her hate him, to hurt her enough to drive her away because he knew he couldn't stay away from her. Even in a situation like this Jesse McCartney's just so you know was playing in his mind.

'Congratulations Saionji, you finally managed to push her away, You Won, like you always do' but this didn't feel like winning. All he could do was picture her crying and an urge to comfort her came over him that was so strong that he almost followed her. For the second time in his life Kanata Saionji felt helpless. He had no clue what to do as he stood rooted staring at the spot where he had watched Miyu disappear.

Miyu lay on her bed crying her eyes out while Aya sat next to her, trying her best to comfort her friend. Nanami was down in the kitchen _"I can't watch you cry like that. I'm going to get some water and grab some lunch too. You didn't eat anything today and it's almost dinner time"_ she had announced as she had left them in Miyu's room. She stood in the kitchen looking around for something for Miyu to eat.

'I'm going to kill that son of a bitch. How dare he insult my friend like that? He's not even her boyfriend to comment on her dress. She can wear whatever she likes. Really Saionji I thought you were starting to change. I swear I noticed a lot of changes in you. You're no longer cold you are much polite and friendly now. You've started to socialise. Why did you say such terrible things to her?' Exasperated she clenched and then unclenched her fists turning around she spotted an envelope on the fridge. She picked it up and saw it was for Miyu.

 _"_ _He is cruel Miyu, please stop crying"_ Aya said. Miyu didn't stop crying and her pillow was completely drenched with her tears. Nanami came back holding an envelope, she looked grave.

 _"_ _Miyu this is for you"_ she handed her the envelope. After reading the letter she cried harder. Aya grew worried and looked over to Nanami for some explanation. _"It's her parents they received a call from NASA this morning. They were called back because of some emergency. They had to leave urgently but they'll be back in a week"_ Nanami explained. Aya was confused she couldn't find any reason for Miyu to cry. Nanami added _"when they're back, she'll have to leave with them, back to new york. Her mother's been promoted which means she will have to be at NASA permanently and her father will be transferred back"._

Everything went silent in the room apart from Miyu's momentary sobs. No one could find any words to say. 'Strange how the day had ended Miyu thought. She had expected to have fun with her friends but instead everything had gone south. Aya and Nanami stayed till late in the evening but they had to leave eventually. Once again she was all alone by herself. She lay on her bed staring into the darkness in the room for long thinking about the screwed up situation she was in. She didn't want to leave Heiomachi, not when she had true best friends like Aya and Nanami. She had never loved any place this much before. She thought and thought until her mind gave in to the stress of the day and she finally fell asleep.

 **how was it?** terrible?okay?good? let me know!

 **Sneek peek into the next chapter**

Miyu hugged her friends, she had missed them terribly. She felt like she was meeting them after a long break instead of yesterday.

 _"Miyu is everything okay. Are you okay?"_ Nanami asked.

She was moved by how much they cared for her and she suddenly felt happy _"yup everything's good. I came to talk to Mizuno sensei about my transfer"_ she replied. _"What!"_ they exclaimed in unison.

 _"You can't be leaving Miyu. Agreed Saionji is a mean cold hearted jerk but you can't leave solely based on that. What about us?"_ Nanami asked.

 _"We're gonna miss you Miyu. I never thought we would be saying farewell so soon. You really are a dear friend &…" _Aya stopped mid sentence when Miyu hugged her.


	6. Time to leave Heiomachi?

Next day at school a certain blonde was missing from the math class. Kanata noticed her absence the first thing as he entered his class.

'She must be ditching this class as usual' he thought. 'I bet she's at the court right now busy shooting baskets like always'. A ghost of smile crept over his face as he flashbacked to the day they first met.

 _He usually never bothered himself with newcomers so he didn't know of Miyu's arrival but that day almost every guy on campus had been talking about a new girl. He hadn't seen her yet but he felt as if he already knew her all thanks to the commotion she had created. She acquired popularity right away because of her astronaut parents. 'Why is everyone being an idiot? Haven't they met any girl before he thought?' By the end of the day he was up with a severe headache and a very strong desire to get home ASAP. He was in the parking area moving towards his car when he saw someone standing alone. He was about to ignore assuming that she was someone from his fan club, perhaps waiting for him to confess her feelings as usual. But something made him stop and look at her and he saw the most beautiful girl he had seen in a long time. She was wiping the sweat off her forehead with back of her hand & then fanned herself. She was hot - literally because it was really humid - in her knee length skirt & tousled shirt. She seemed tired & bored but the sight of her was riveting. Sunrays from evening sun highlighted her silhouette making her look impossibly beautiful. Her sight kept him rooted to his spot as he drank her in while she stood in the middle of the road. Suddenly he heard a bike roaring and saw it heading straight towards her. Panicking he called out to her but she didn't listen, she had earphones plugged in. He ran to her as fast as he could and pulled her away right in time as the bike missed her merely by inches. She looked startled & her eyes grew wide with shock. They were deep brown almost black. If it was not for the light reflecting from them it was hard to tell the difference. They were beautiful & he was lost into them for that moment. Realizing he was staring at her for longer than intended he yelled instead to hide his embarrassment. Though he was mad at her for being reckless but perhaps he had over reacted, that biker wouldn't have knocked her but then she had earphones on so who knows. He noticed the emotions passing on her face. It was like a slideshow first shock, then gratitude, then confusion and at last the one that made her look cutest, anger._

He was smiling at the memory when a gentle tap on his back brought him back to his class & saw Santa giving him are-you-alright look. 'Did I just experience a flashback? Damn it, I never do flashbacks. I remember every detail of her as if it happened yesterday but I don't even remember the first word I said to Santa. But then we are childhood friends after all so how can I possibly remember that right' he tried to convince himself and failed terribly.

'I need to get her off my mind'. Kanata tried to busy himself with the ongoing class but his mind was at war with peace at the moment. Once again he found himself staring at Miyu's empty seat. Her absence made him feel hollow within. Maybe it was because yesterday he had watched her cry or rather made her cry his mind corrected. On impulse he stood up.

 _"_ _Is there anything you want Saionji?"_ his teacher asked.

 _"_ _Sorry, but I don't feel well. Can I go out?"_ he asked.

Everybody in the class including his teacher gaped at him in disbelief since he was someone (perhaps only one) who had enough guts, given his academic excellence and being son of school's chief trustee, to walk out in the middle of any class at free will. He wasn't popular for asking permissions. Surprised by his behaviour his teacher nodded, looking utterly speechless.

'Overreaction would be an understatement' Kanata thought judging the reactions he received from everyone including Santa who gave him an understanding look that somehow unnerved him.

'Looks like you've already done some serious damage to my personality Miyu. Since when did I become so courteous?'

He nodded at his teacher & walked out of the class. He didn't bother with rushing anywhere his legs knew where he needed to be. Perhaps he was fooling himself maybe Miyu wasn't in school today after all. He didn't want to face the truth this early when he had whole day ahead of him. He had had trouble sleeping last night as he kept seeing her face every time he closed his eyes. Her eyes filled with tears troubled him too much making him restless.

As Kanata walked down to the empty court he knew he was right. Miyu was not in school and it didn't help much to think that he was the reason why. Her absence made him feel worse, much more than how he had felt yesterday. Yesterday had made it among the list of worst days of his life and the worst day ever since he transferred here. He summoned a basketball and started playing all alone. He didn't bother about the classes anymore, putting his focus solely on channelling his anger into his game.

A sleepyhead woke up almost at noon. She didn't get much sleep yesterday so she woke late. Yesterday was clearly not the happiest day in the history of her life. In fact it was almost the crappiest day she ever had. Her mind wandered to that evening and she shook her head trying not to further her gloom by thinking about that day. She had skipped school and knew her friends would cover for her. She made her way to the kitchen first. She was famished. She had had nothing since yesterday morning. She prepared some sandwiches and orange juice.

After eating she felt a lot better. _"No wonder they say food can make everything seem better"_ she said. She poured herself another glass of orange juice and sat on the couch in her living room. Why should I leave Heiomachi she thought? I never asked them to bring me here and now they can't possibly ask me so selfishly to move back. After more than half a year they can't expect me to leave when I finally love it here. I've great friends I've never had such friends before and this place is so beautiful. Nothing is wrong with this place apart from one thing, Kanata Saionji. Thinking about him she felt anger boiling her blood and she sipped on her juice to cool herself. He wasn't worth her thoughts and she would never give him the satisfaction that he was a reason enough to leave. Her friends and school were far more valuable to her than that one rival to be left behind.

But her perks of graduating from US were better. I'll get to attend more prestigious school than now. Heiomachi is a small town after all and it can never be compared with a metropolis. I'll have better opportunities there. All I've ever wanted is an independent life, a stable career and I've fair chances to have one if I graduate from there. I definitely can't compromise with my future. She sat on that couch for forever. At the end she got up having decided and headed to her room.

" _What's eating you Kanata. Why aren't you attending classes today? You didn't even showed up in computer class and that's your favourite. Why are you wearing out yourself like this? I am not talking to this ball or that basket. I'm asking you something and I expect an answer"_ Santa shouted at him.

He was acting strange since morning not talking to anyone, not even him. He didn't even eat anything and he had practically spent his whole day in the basketball court. But now school was about to end yet Kanata hadn't uttered a word nor stopped playing.

 _"_ _Is there something bothering you?"_ he tried again hoping Kanata would say something. Kanata froze in middle of his leap shot. Miyu's angry face came to his mind from yesterday when she had asked him the same question.

Difference being that Santa cared for him whereas she hates him.

'Damn it! Why can't I stop thinking about her?' He closed his eyes in frustration. When he opened them he saw Miyu. He blinked several times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating but she was definitely there talking with Ms. Mizuno her homeroom teacher. He kept staring at her hoping she would turn towards him. She looked serious as if she was discussing a very important matter with her teacher.

She wasn't in their regular school uniform instead she was wearing a loose fitting grey hood full sleeved t-shirt, blue jeans and black sneakers. She had let her hairs down as if to guard her probably from me he thought. Only she could manage to look cool and hot at same time despite of her cross dressing.

She turned towards him and a strange calm overwhelmed him surprising him by how much she affected him, how much control she had over him. And this is when both of them are opposite poles. He was starting to fear this attraction. 'I can't get attached to her. I can't afford to lose another person'. Ever since his mother died he had kept his distance from everyone. Even Santa, who was closest to him, who knew him more than anyone, even his own negligent father, didn't have such effect on him as her. He dreaded this invisible bond between him & her tugging at his heart all the time. 'I need to get a grip on myself and move on. I need to let her go. I just can't go there again'.

 _"_ _Hey Nanami, am I delirious or is that Miyu"_ Aya pointed to Miyu who was walking towards them, waving.

 _"_ _Yup that's_ _her alright but why is she at school now. I just hope everything's okay"_ Nanami replied and they walked or rather ran to her.

Miyu hugged her friends, she had missed them terribly. She felt like she was meeting them after a long break instead of yesterday.

 _"_ _Miyu is everything okay. Are you okay?"_ Nanami asked.

She was moved by how much they cared for her and she suddenly felt happy _"yup everything's good. I came to talk to Mizuno sensei about my transfer"_ she replied. _"What!"_ they exclaimed in unison.

 _"_ _You can't be leaving Miyu. Agreed Saionji is a mean cold hearted jerk but you can't leave solely based on that. What about us?"_ Nanami asked.

 _"_ _We're gonna miss you Miyu. I never thought we would be saying farewell so soon. You really are a dear friend &…" _Aya stopped mid sentence when Miyu hugged her.

She smiled at them, tears glistening in her eyes. _"No it's not that. I'm not leaving you guys. I considered it once but then I thought of you people and the school. I really have great friends here and this place feels like home. I can't leave you guys not so soon at least"_

Nanami hugged her tight & Miyu noticed tears in her eyes. That was quite unexpected since she was not a bit sentimental. _"You almost gave me a heart attack!"_ she complained. With that she was back to normal, flash of emotion gone in a moment.

 _"_ _I'm glad you decided to stay, Miyu. What is the plan, I mean what are you gonna do now"_ Aya asked her.

 _"_ _Well to begin with, I need to convince my parents to let me stay. That shouldn't be a problem since I've practically spent most of my life without them anyway"_ she said grinning at them.

She had made the right choice she could feel it her bones. 'And I need to stay away from Saionji'. His insulting words still rang in her ears and she couldn't do anything to stop them. 'I'll busy myself with music just so I don't kill him'.

But thinking of him made her think back to the way he had looked at her earlier when she was with Ms. Mizuno. He had almost convinced her that he regretted every word he said with that one look, his eyes burning with emotions she couldn't understand. Judging by the way he looked, all drenched in sweat, face red as a tomato he must playing for hours. But despite of his tired appearance he looked relieved almost calm. Her plan was to ignore him but she couldn't help it as her eyes darted to the court & found him looking in her direction. She turned her back to him determined not to look back ever.

 **how was it?** terrible?okay?bad? let me know!

 **sneek peek into next chapter**

 _"_ _Why don't you suggest someplace Miyu? You've been awfully quiet lately"_ Christene asked her. Everyone staring at her made her anxious and she noticed that even Kanata had slightly leaned forward to listen.

 _"_ _I don't know,_ _I mean any place would be fun as long as all of us are together. So how about someplace detached from the chaos of city someplace with forests nearby and if there's a beach then it will add to the fun"_

 _"_ _Nice idea but I don't know of any such place"_ Aya said.

 _"_ _Me neither"_ Mizuki said nor did anyone else as they shook their heads.

They were all silent thinking what to do next _"I own a beach house on the outskirts. It is a good place for a trip. I can have it ready if you guys are interested"_ Kanata offered silently. Everyone stared at him since he rarely helped anyone he was as detached as humans could be.

 _"_ _In that case you'll have to join us in the trip. It's your place and no one will enjoy it if you don't come along, we'll all feel awkward using your place with you not around"_ Miyu suggested.


	7. Getting closer and falling apart

**Chapter 7 Getting closer and falling apart**

As expected her parents didn't return before a fortnight. Miyu was used to their absence but sometimes it made her think if she wasn't wanted at all.

'No that's a lie'. She told herself. 'Of course they love me but I wish they could spend some more time with me but I know that's a wishful thinking. They are astronauts working at the most elite space organisation in the world. So it's obvious they are super busy and that's no reason to be sad about. Besides I have Aya & Nanami and that's a reason enough to be happy'.

When her parents did come back they were surprised by her persistence to live in Heiomachi but eventually agreed. She was happy but they had to go back after a week so now she was all alone in that big house and this time it would be long as they were not coming back before her next session starts, her final year of high school. She had no problem living alone except for one her cooking talent was limited to brewing coffee and omelettes. She hired a maid who cooked her meals and cleaned her house sometimes thank god she was good with microwave. Everything was fine for few weeks it was like he didn't even exist but then one day _"I need to tell you guys something"_ Aya blurted suddenly. She seemed nervous and that made them curious.

 _"_ _What is it Aya?"_ Miyu asked.

 _"_ _Are you pregnant?"_ asked Nanami with a straight face.

Miyu was struggling to keep herself from laughing at Nanami's face when Aya screamed _"No! What made you think that? It's not like that and besides we haven't gone that far yet"_

 _"_ _What!"_ they both said together.

 _"_ _What do you mean haven't gone that far? Who is he Aya? You're dating and here I thought you were my best friend"_ Nanami faked heartbreak with her hands on her heart as if stabbing it and faking tears with her fingers on her face.

As dramatic as ever Miyu thought but the thought of Aya dating secretly was little hurtful to be honest. 'I wonder what made her to keep it a secret'.

 _"_ _Sorry I didn't tell you earlier about it. I thought you would get angry"_ said Aya looking at Miyu.

Confused, she asked her _"What made you think I'll be angry with you dating? That's so irrelevant, really. If you're happy then I'm happy for you, there's no doubt about that"_ she told her.

 _"_ _Who are you dating Aya? Just tell us before curiosity kills me"_ Nanami begged her.

 _"_ _It's Santa. I'm so relieved that you're not mad Miyu. Miyu, are you okay. Umm Miyu…?"_

Miyu blankly stared at her _"Oh I'm so sorry I spaced out. Congratulations Aya, he's a nice guy and he really cares for you"_ she said a moment later trying desperately to sound normal.

 _"_ _Are you really okay with it? I mean your situation with Kanata, won't that affect you. Santa is his best friend and there'll be times when we'll all be together"_ Aya looked genuinely concerned making Miyu feel like a crappy friend. She decided to put up with Saionji just for her friend besides they were a perfect match. _"Don't worry about it, Saionji's history. Besides I'm really hurt you didn't tell us before"_ she said.

 _"_ _I'm so glad you're not mad. I'm sorry I tried telling earlier but I just couldn't, I really don't want you anywhere near Kanata myself. I'll make sure you guys spend the least time together. I'm so happy now that I've finally told you guys"_ she said looking relieved.

Aya was happy, her face glowed when she told them how Santa had approached her and how they started with texting then moved on to their first date. 'I really can't ruin such a beautiful relationship merely for my selfish reasons' she thought and with that Miyu was genuinely happy for her best friend.

With both their best friends dating Miyu and Kanata were compelled to spend time together. They mostly sat together in the cafeteria during lunch break since it was the only time when Aya and Santa could spend any time together in school. Gradually their group got popular at school with eight elite students Nanami, Aya, Santa, Miyu, Kanata, Christene, Nouzumo and Mizuki. Everyone in the group was already renowned in their own fields. Miyu & Kanata were vice presidents of sports club for girls and boys apart from being school vice-presidents. Likewise Nanami & Mizuki were vice-presidents of dance club. Christene & Nouzumo were responsible for organising all extra curricular activities at school and Aya & Santa were editorial heads of school magazine.

They were the role models for their juniors since they were in their pre final year of high school. They were all like celebrities on campus, everybody liked them. Miyu always sat at the farthest corner from Kanata in order to keep maximum distance possible between them. He always sat with a book even during lunch break to avoid talking.

He sucked at being social he was even worse than Miyu. She was at least friendly & helping if you come to know her but her lack of verbose made her seem distant to most people. It was too easy for her to tune out people without intentions, sometimes even in mid of conversations. Perhaps that was the reason why she often felt lonely despite of being among people. This was again another trait common between her and Kanata. During lunch breaks the atmosphere was usually happy except for the cold vibes from two certain members. There was always a noticeable tension between them and nothing could change that.

Though with time the group was inseparable having just one obvious exception. Christene turned out to be a really kind and a very good friend.

The final exams were about a month away and everyone was busy with their last round of preparations and revisions. The air at school was clad with the nervousness of exams. Everyone wanted the exams to start early so that they would end soon too. With a lot of excitement and nervousness the exams kick started and the time flew past at a very fast pace since most of it was spent in preparing for the next exam and so before anybody realised it was the last day of their exam. At the end of that day air was normal again now that exams were over and everyone was chilled out and excited, busy with making plans for the upcoming holidays before the start of next session. Like always the whole group gathered at the cafeteria and for a change Kanata was not with a book. Everyone at the table was excited and talked at the same time making hell of noise since it was the last day of session nobody bothered to keep their voices down.

It was all chaos and Miyu felt like zoning out again when suddenly Christene piped in _"How about we all go on a trip together. Let's spend some fun time together after all we are in the final year of school now"._

 _"_ _Awesome idea"_ Nanami agreed.

 _"_ _I agree too, but where should we go?"_ asked Nouzumo.

"I _guess I'll pass. I've some important work to finish"_ Kanata said everybody groaned well everybody except Miyu.

 _"_ _Don't be a spoil sport now"_ Santa said. _"Please join us"_ Christene pleaded.

He gave her a flat NO. But others were excited with the idea and got busy suggesting places.

 _"_ _What about Miami?"_ Christene suggested sulkily, Yup she was that rich to afford a trip to Miami but she didn't sound happy that her boyfriend had decided to keep out. Miyu felt sorry for her.

 _"_ _Or let's visit Mt. Fuji". "No, that will involve too much of trekking" "how about visiting an island and spending some time there" "or let's go visit famous shrines" "or let's go for parasailing, something adventurous"._ Everyone was excited at the idea of a group trip but they were having problem deciding where to go.

 _"_ _Why don't you suggest someplace Miyu? You've been awfully quiet lately"_ Christene asked her. Everyone staring at her made her anxious and she noticed that even Kanata had slightly leaned forward to listen.

 _"_ _I don't know,_ _I mean any place would be fun as long as all of us can be together so how about someplace detached from the chaos of city someplace with forests nearby and if there's a beach then it will add to the fun"_

 _"_ _Nice idea but I don't know of any such place"_ Aya said.

 _"_ _Me neither"_ Mizuki said nor did anyone else as they shook their heads.

They were all silent thinking what to do next _"I own a beach house on the outskirts. It is a good place for a trip. I can get it ready if you guys are interested"_ Kanata offered silently. Everyone stared at him since he rarely helped anyone he was as detached as humans could be.

 _"_ _In that case you'll have to join us for the trip. It's your place and no one will enjoy it if you don't come along, we'll all feel awkward using your place with you not around"_ Miyu said.

She didn't like the way he had flatly denied Christene's request and she wanted her to be happy she was a good friend. Also she suspected Santa might cancel his trip too and that would upset Aya. It was a perfect excuse for them to spend some alone time together without being surrounded by their friends all the time. Somehow she also wanted Kanata to enjoy too because judging by his nature he was likely to spend his time all alone without his friends and she knew too well how it felt to be alone even for those who liked being on their own, loneliness isn't healthy.

Kanata was surprised by her request after all she had been avoiding him for past few months that was fine by him and now this. She's too complicated. 'I don't get you at all Miyu'. He stared at her taking his time to reply.

Meanwhile others stared at them it was quite fascinating to watch them talk after ignoring each other's existence for months.

" _Okay if that's how"_ you _"others feel then I'll come"_ he said smiling.

Miyu caught her breath as he smiled at her. 'It's a first and god he really is handsome wait I'm so not going there again'.

 _"_ _Wow that's great"_ Christene exclaimed in happiness and thanked Miyu for asking him. So it was decided that they will all go to Kanata's beach house for a week. They got busy preparing for what they'll need. Everyone was excited as plans were finalised.

Miyu was deep in thought when she heard Aya _"Thank you Miyu for asking Kanata to come. Santa would've bailed us out too otherwise being best friends and all. You're such a sweetie I really love you"_ she beamed at her. Miyu was happy for her friend but somehow she didn't want Kanata to spend his time all alone either.

 _"_ _Thanks, I thought you'll pass it again. It was quite surprising though"_.

 _"_ _No problem, besides I know you well you would have cancelled your trip too and tortured me for the whole time. You're gonna get some real time with your girl. She is really nice, good for you"_.

 _"_ _I know"_ Santa grinned at him and then joined others in the discussion. Kanata felt eyes on him and saw Miyu looking at them. Their eyes locked for a second before she drew them away.

'Santa is not the reason. I don't know why but I want to know you Miyu, knowing I shouldn't but I want to be with you'. He looked at her while she talked with her friends, smiling and making silly jokes just to make them laugh. She adored her friends treated them like family, helping them at her own expense if necessary. 'Why do you make my heart race with nothing but a smile? You make me want to revisit the past I swore I would never turn to. Why are you different from everyone else? Why are you so much like her? Why do you remind me of her?'

 **how was it?** terrible?okay?good? let me know!

 **Sneek peek into next chapter**

 _"_ _You've been driving for so long, if you don't mind then I can help"_ as Kanata glared at him his aura making him look devilish _"or maybe not"_ added Mizuki. While others shivered under his glare, Mizuki felt tad bit of nervousness. What's with this sudden animosity? Miyu thought as she looked at him.

Kanata started the engine again and for some time everyone was absolutely quiet. The silence was unbearable and Miyu couldn't take it anymore. She turned back & said _"let's sing some cheerful songs. It'll help people to cool down a bit"_ giving her neighbour a stern look and received a sidelong glance from him with a smirk. Typical temperament she thought and faced Mizuki.


	8. Off to our trip!

**Chapter 8 Off to our trip!**

Finally it was the beginning of whole week of fun and nothing else. Miyu locked her house and stood there waiting for her friends to pick her. Being summer she kept it simple sporting a cream colour floral print one-piece frock ending at her knees with a pair of matching flip flops. She had straightened her hair letting them down. She was ready with her backpack and soon saw a metallic grey Toyota climbing up the slope knowing that her wait was over. The SUV came to a halt in front of her and she was greeted by everyone at once.

" _Hi Miyu, you look beautiful"_ Mizuki complimented her. _"And why am I not surprised by that?_ _"_ Nanami added. Miyu blushed feeling embarrassed she could really do without compliments while Kanata felt an urge to punch someone.

 _"_ _Hop in Miyu"_ Christene said. The love birds were busy among themselves.

Miyu stood there staring blankly at the only empty seat in the car, passenger's seat. Somehow Christene had ended up in the back seat along with the others. Miyu had two options either sit next to Kanata who was driving or fake illness and go back to her house calling it off. She seriously considered the latter but knew Nanami would drag her all the way out so she didn't really have any choice here. Kanata seemed to understand her dilemma too which somehow amused him and that annoyed her even more.

In a flash he was standing next to her with the door to the car held open for her. _"I do know how to open the door"_ she said _._

 _"_ _I don't doubt it for a second but I have to put your luggage in so would you be kind enough to get in now"_ he asked.

Feeling stupidly annoying she obliged with resentment as he moved to the back to toss her bag into the trunk and climbed back into the driver's seat. For some reason he was in an awfully good mood so very unlike of him. _"So guys are you all ready"_ he asked and everyone else screamed YES. " _Alright then here we go"_ & with that he started the engine as everyone began to make hell of a noise.

The excitement was contagious Miyu felt getting excited. _"Alright lovebirds spare the romance for the rest of the week"_ Nanami scolded " _Let's play something_ ".

 _"_ _We can't do much here but something random like mimicking or singing will be fun too"_ Nouzumo suggested. _"Yeah let's do that"_ others agreed. _"Okay Mizuki you start"_ Christene picked him out of blue.

 _"_ _I suck at singing and mimicking others too"_.

 _"_ _Okay then how about answering a question, do you have a girlfriend?"_ she asked. _"No, not yet"_ he said. _"Aw too bad, you're quite popular though you know, do you like anyone?"_

 _"_ _I do like someone and before you ask me anything I'll let you know if she says yes"_.

 _"_ _Best of luck with your girl"_ Nouzumo clapped him on his back.

Suddenly the car made a sharp turn stopping abruptly. _"What's wrong Kanata? Is everything okay"_ Santa asked him.

 _"_ _I lost control, won't happen again"_ he replied his voice completely flat, cold.

 _"_ _You've been driving for so long, if you don't mind then I can help"_ as Kanata glared at him his aura making him look devil incarnated in flesh and bones _"or maybe not"_ added Mizuki faintly. While others shivered under his glare Mizuki felt a tad bit of nervousness. What's with this sudden animosity? Miyu thought as she looked at him.

Kanata started the engine again and for some time everyone was absolutely quiet. The silence was unbearable and Miyu couldn't take it anymore. She turned back & said _"let's sing some cheerful songs. It'll help people to cool down a bit"_ giving her neighbour a stern look and received a sidelong glance from him with a smirk. Typical temperament she thought and faced Mizuki.

 _"_ _Are you okay?"_ she asked him. _"Yes I'm fine, thanks"_ he replied politely.

As she turned back to look at front she thought she noticed something but dismissed it as her imagination. How could she possibly notice a vein throbbing anyway, it wasn't natural. Her attempt to lighten the mood worked and everyone started singing songs together. She enjoyed singing and knew it was the best way to enjoy a trip. You can't imagine a trip without songs.

 _"_ _Let's rate everyone's singing talent. It'll be fun, nothing serious"_ Christene said and others got excited except one _"I'm not a singer, I'm not singing"_ Mizuki reminded.

 _"_ _In that case you'll be awarded the worst singer of the day but you'll have to sing anyway. There's no escaping it"_ Nanami was all with a notepad and a pen ready to score everyone, leave it to her to take all the childish things seriously. They began to sing one by one starting with Mizuki who wanted to get past the horror as soon as possible.

 _"_ _You were really being modest, you're terrible Mizuki but you're an excellent dancer though"_ Christene commented.

" _Okay worst singer for Mizuki now next is Nouzumo"_ Nanami provided as she wrote down in her writing pad. Then it was Christene's turn followed by a horrible duet from Aya  & Santa, Santa being the horrible part and Aya balancing it with her beautiful voice. Everyone cheered for them.

 _"_ _Miyu it's your turn now"_ Nanami told her. _"Okay, give me a song then"_ she asked them, excitement glowing on her face. _"I love your enthusiasm girl"_ Nanami gave her a thump's up. _"How about Taylor Swift's enchanted?"_ she received everyone's approval. When Aya and Santa were attentive enough _"Okay then"_ she said and began to sing.

Everyone was stunned for the moment when she finished singing, gaping at her and then abruptly Nanami exclaimed _"Who the hell are you, definitely not a human"_. Miyu chuckled at the comical expression Nanami had on her face _"So the singer of the day goes to the star student Miyu"_ she announced and others clapped.

 _"_ _Okay guys we have a long way to go so I'm making a stop at the next eatery"_ Kanata informed others. _"Thank god, I thought we won't stop till we reach your place"_ Christene said in relief. _"I'm dying to stretch my legs"_ Nouzumo complained. _"Me too"_ Nanami backed him.

After a short while Kanata pulled into the parking lot of small cafe and everyone got out. The hem of Miyu's dress got tangled at the bottom of the seat belt and she was struggling to disentangle it when Kanata caught her wrist.

 _"_ _Don't use your strength, you'll rip it instead"_ he said.

Squinting her eyes in fury, she was still mad at him, _"I don't need your help Saionji"_ she replied.

He sat back silently watching her struggle. He let her continue her futile attempts for another minute and then infuriated he grabbed her arm. She looked at him to snap again but couldn't utter a word.

He was livid _"Asking for help won't kill you. Even you need it sometimes"_ he caught her wrists with his single hand and using his other hand freed her dress _"see easy, isn't it"_ he smiled at her. His carefree smile was really attractive and she couldn't help loving it.

'Why are you so strange Kanata? One minute you are furious and then you're so nice. I don't get you at all. I can't read you at all'. In all awkwardness she thanked him and stepped out. Sitting at one place for long sure is exhausting. She stretched herself to loosen a little. The weather was blissful with slight breeze and air was clad with the smell of the ocean.

 _"_ _Miyu?"_ she heard Kanata calling. Her immediate thought was to ignore him but she turned around to face him anyway.

 _"_ _You sing quite well"_ he said. Startled by his compliment she felt herself blushing under his gaze and thanked him. _"I've to look for Nanami, excuse me"_ she started to move towards the cafe when he grabbed her arm _"Miyu I have something to tell you. About that day, I didn't mean anything. I'm so… I'm sorry"._

Though she didn't know him much but enough to guess that apologising wasn't his thing and his apology brought back the harsh memories of that day and her guard that was down till now was up once again.

 _"_ _Let go of me"_ she replied coldly.

'What's wrong with her, why can't she accept my apology? I'm apologising to her and the nerve of her to be so inconsiderate. Who the hell is she to make me want to justify myself'.

 _"_ _I said I'm sorry okay"_ he sounded harsh.

 _"_ _Did you lose your hearing ability, I said let go of me"_ she glared at him barely reaching his shoulders. He stared down at her, his insides writhing with anger. His grip tightened around her wrist while she struggled to free herself.

 _"_ _Accept my apology and I'll let you go"_ he replied with a cold voice tying to control his anger.

 _"_ _That's the whole point. You just can't make people accept your apologies by threatening them. Try being more convincing next time"_.

Anger shot within him and losing his rationality, he pushed her to the side of the car clutching at her arms. His face was so close to her that he could feel her warm breathe and it was distracting, forgetting about his anger he almost kissed her but stopped dead instead. Her eyes brimming with tears made him loosen his grip and slowly he backed away from her. Miyu took a moment to calm before turning around and walking away leaving him alone in the parking area.

'I hate you Saionji. I hate the way you make me feel like I'm someone with no feelings'. If not for Aya she would have left at that moment. 'Go to hell, Saionji!' she thought as she gradually increased the distance between them.

 _"_ _Miyu where were you? I was looking for you. Let's go eat something, I'm starving"_ Nanami dragged her along.

Kanata stood leaning on his car staring mindlessly into the air.

'I did it again. She brings out the worst in me and I always act without thinking whenever she's around. God! Why is she so infuriating and enchanting at the same time. One moment I feel like pushing her away and next I want to kiss her. We were so close and I would've kissed her if I hadn't looked at her face'.

That look in her eyes was something he recognised very well and that had frozen him in his tracks as he realised what he was about to do. He was about to force her and he ran a hand over his hairs and face in exasperation. Her eyes were filled with hurt and fear. One look at her eyes and he had snapped out of his lunacy, rationality befriending him again. He had to struggle within to calm himself & loosen his grip on her, his mind telling him to let her go whereas his heart wanted her to stay, eventually his mind had won.

Her eyes had seemed just like hers and his mind steered back to that evening in her flat where she lay in his arms, dying and there was nothing he could do, the first time he had been helpless.

 _"_ _I'm sorry" tears falling down her face and her eyes were filled with hurt and fear. Fear for him and hurt that they'll never have their forever. "Please don't….don't leave me" he begged tears running down his face. "Promise me, you will not isolate yourself. When love comes to you, you'll embrace it with your heart open"_ _._ _"_ _I can never love anyone else, I love you" he said, grabbing her hand. "I love you too, Kanata but you've got to try. Remember I'll always love you and I'll be around looking over you" and then she had died in his arms. No. Akira!_

Kanata screamed, calling for her and he found himself in the bright afternoon in the parking lot, his hand raised in the air as if calling out to someone. After her death he had been completely shattered and gradually everybody grew apart from him because of his unresponsiveness except for Santa. Santa was always there when he needed him, during the troubling sleepless nights and the days of his break down when he was falling apart from the loss of the only person he had ever dared to love again. Santa had stood by him till the day he had decided to change himself and to leave Tokyo with her haunting memories and come to Heiomachi.

 _"_ _Kanata, are you okay?"_ he turned around to see Santa standing nearby looking at him. He could read him like a book. _"What makes you think I'm not"_ he replied. _"Nothing it_ _was just... that look on your face"_ he replied scrutinising him in a way only he could.

Kanata didn't reply and changed the topic _"it's about time we leave"_

 _"_ _Okay, I'll go call everyone"_ and with that Santa disappeared.

'I took a vow not to let anyone near me and it's time to put my words to action' Kanata resolved. For the rest of the journey Christene sat in the front and everyone was chatting along till they arrived at the beach house. It was huge like a mansion. It had an ancient and classic appeal, making it look elegant. They walked into the vast lobby decorated beautifully with mahogany furniture and beautiful paintings decorated the vast walls, it was huge enough to hold 50 people at a time.

Miyu couldn't stop herself from looking around at the paintings. She walked up to a huge painting of a young couple smiling she was mesmerised by the beauty of the woman in the painting. Even in the painting she looked so lovely, so kind that she almost expected her to talk to her. The woman somehow calmed her instantly, she was craving to meet this kind angel & dazed she asked _"she is so beautiful, who is she?"_

 _"_ _They are my parents"_ Kanata replied. He was standing behind her and she turned around to look at him. He was looking at his mother and she noticed a strange emotion in his eyes.

 _"_ _Can I see her? For someone to look so beautiful and kind even in a portrait... I'm sure she is an incredibly wonderful person. I would love to meet her"_ she asked him forgetting about their earlier confrontation. He gave her a blank look and walked away from her. He left her there confused as she stared at his back while he shot orders on his phone making quick arrangements for their stay.

 _"_ _His mother is dead she died when he was three. He doesn't like talking about his parents"_ Santa informed her as they both looked at Kanata.

She hadn't known. True she knew everything about Housho Saionji's professional life but she had never bothered to look into his personal life. Now she felt horrible for asking such a question. She turned to look at the woman again, she had died young. She could now pick up the similarities between them, they shared similar features and his eyes were the exact replica of her. Miyu turned to look at Kanata again and this time she genuinely felt sorry, jerk or not, nobody deserved such great loss at such tender age. Now she knew the look, it had been pain and a bit of longing as he had stared at his mother and for the first time she wanted hold him to console him despite of her hatred towards him.

 **how was it?** terrible? okay? good? let me know!

 **Sneek peek into next chapter**

Kanata caught her in time and saved her from banging her head straight onto the floor.

 _"_ _I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. What's wrong, are you hurt?"_ he asked.

 _"_ _No, not much but I think I sprained my ankle, it hurts"_ she replied trying to balance her body on one leg.

 _"_ _Does it hurt, let me call my doctor. Oh god, I'm so sorry Miyu"._

 _"_ _It's okay, I'm fine. I've sprained my ankles before. I'll be fine by tomorrow"_ and started hopping towards her bed.

 _"_ _Let me help you"_

 _"_ _No thanks,_ _I can manage"_ she declined his help and began to hop towards her bed. A sprained ankle is nothing I've faced far worse things she thought.

 _"_ _You know you're like a child, a stubborn child"_ Kanata said as he picked her up in his arms forcibly.


	9. Spin the bottle or spin their lives

**Chapter 9 Spin the bottle of spin their lives**

Strange day Miyu thought as she stood in the balcony of her room dressed in her night PJ's wet hairs dripping. Kanata had entitled everyone to an individual room for the whole week. It was like living in a five star suite. She breathed in the air filled with the saltiness of the ocean. Full moon was shining brightly in the star studded sky illuminating the surface of the water. She closed her eyes and listened to the soothing rhythm of rise and fall of tides at the beach.

'Today was really strange. In the morning he was so different, cheery & lively and to be honest I liked that side of Kanata more than his usual tirade. I don't know why but watching him smile filled my heart with a strange happy feeling. What's wrong with me? Why can't I get him out of my head? Despite of what happened today I still can't bring myself to hate him. Why is it getting so impossible to ignore him with every passing moment? Is it even possible to hate someone and want them at the same time? I'm going crazy I think I should talk to someone about this but who can I talk to? Not Aya, I can't invade her privacy at this moment but Nanami isn't a good choice either given her ability to be excessively annoying especially in matters like these. Christene's opinion will come with bias and probably a lot more hassle than she was prepared for. God I've always been the person to advice others, where is that Miyu why can't I call upon her now when I need her so much?' She realised it is easy to advice others but it gets so difficult when it comes to your own life.

The memory of them in the parking lot flashed in her mind and her heart began to race. If he had not stopped himself she would have let him kiss her, instead of stopping him she had closed her eyes and suddenly she was back in that dreadful alley that evening when she had been in a similar situation.

 _'_ _Only difference was that guy had been holding her from her back with his hands squeezing her chests holding her firmly and all her attempts to free herself had been a waste. She could never forget the way she had felt back then, suffocated, weak and helpless trapped in the cage of his iron strong arms. She was numbed when he had mauled her, assaulted her, pain bursting inside her and shaking her to the core. She was in such shock that not even a scream had escaped from her mouth. her mind had completely shut down gone totally blank but what else to expect from a 10 year old girl who was being molested by a guy she knew very well and trusted, with no one around to her rescue. Perhaps it was her luck that he hadn't stripped her cloths then and there and was merely satisfied with traumatising her for the moment, giving her a glimpse of what might happen the next time if he caught her alone. He had left her all alone, went on acting as if nothing had happened. She stood there for several minutes unable to comprehend what had happened. Few moments ago she was happily playing with her friends running around when suddenly strong arms caught her and pushed into some obstructed dark place sort of an alley. He was the son of her parent's friends, a few years older than her. Though surprised why he was touching her like that she never dreamt of what he did next. That day he didn't walk away alone, he left behind a shattered soul of 10 year old girl who never recovered from that trauma. She doesn't remember how she got home that evening. But after that day she_ _never went out to play again with her friends and was too glad when her father had informed them that they were to moving to new york that very week. She started hating men and with time she started detesting men and relationships. Marriages became a foreign concept to her and all she ever thrived for was power and to never be helpless again ever. She resolved never to let a man come near her at any cost'._

Everything was fine till she had met Kanata. She never imagined herself musing over a guy. I won't let him toy with my feelings. I won't let him near me; I won't be helpless again ever. That weak Miyu died that day and I won't let her resurface just because I find another guy more than cute. She sighed deeply & turned to get back to her room. She jumped back in surprise hitting the railing of the balcony and slipped.

Kanata caught her in time and saved her from banging her head straight on to the floor.

 _"_ _I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. What's wrong, are you hurt?"_ he asked.

 _"_ _No, not much but I think I sprained my ankle, it hurts"_ she replied trying to balance her body on one leg.

 _"_ _Does it hurt, let me call my doctor. Oh god, I'm so sorry Miyu"._

 _"_ _It's okay, I'm fine. I've sprained my ankles before. I'll be fine by tomorrow"_ and started hopping towards her bed.

 _"_ _Let me help you"_

 _"_ _No thanks,_ _I can manage"_ she declined his help and began to hop her bed. A sprained ankle is nothing I've faced far worse things than this she thought.

 _"_ _You know you're like a child, a stubborn child"_ Kanata said as he picked her up in his arms forcibly.

 _"_ _Put me down, I can walk alright. You don't have to do this and besides why are you in my room anyway"_.

 _"_ _I saw you standing in your balcony and I wanted to talk to you. Besides I wanted to apologise for today. I'm sorry. I have lots of temper issues"_ he said. His modest confession startled her, melting her heart  & she literally heard her resolve from moments ago breaking down, so much for staying away from him. She was suddenly comfortable in his arms.

 _"_ _Here you go, are you sure you don't need anything"._

 _"_ _I'll be fine, thank you. Hey... I'm sorry too. I didn't know about your mother. I had no idea and I'm so sorry for being so inconsiderate"_ she said seeming genuinely sorry. He nodded at her but didn't say anything.

As he laid her head on the pillow all he could think about was how close they were, his face inches away from her and his eyes lingered on her lips. Her hands around his neck pulled him closer automatically and she closed her eyes feeling his warm breathe on her face as he leaned forward. He was going to kiss her and this time there was no one to stop them not even his conscience. Suddenly his phone began to ring snapping both of them back to reality. He jerked back from her as she sat on her bed.

 _"_ _I'm sorry"_ his back was turned to her and he made his way out of her room closing the door behind him. Miyu fell on her back. 'Twice in a day, what's wrong with me TWICE IN A DAY oh dear lord she thought?'

Kanata closed the door to his room. His phone was still ringing but he didn't pick it up. He sank ton his bed. 'What's wrong with me? I pledged never to fall for anyone and till now I didn't but around her I just can't control myself. I tried to kiss her twice in a day certainly something is terribly wrong with my head. I can't trust myself around her. I will have to avoid being all alone with her from now'. He covered his face with a pillow thinking about his lame idea and muffled a scream of frustration with it.

Miyu's face emerged from beneath the pillow & she sat up. 'All I've to do is avoid being alone with him. I can't trust myself around him so I won't be alone with him that's it, quite an easy thing to do, I can do that for sure'. She somehow managed to believe that she could avoid Kanata but something at the back of her mind told her that this was just the beginning and things were gonna downhill from here on. She had to avoid him again and this time the reason was completely different.

Next morning certain two were missing from the breakfast table.

 _"_ _Miyu, are you up, I'm coming in"_ Nanami said barging into her room without waiting for any reply.

 _"_ _Hey sleepyhead, what's wrong why are you clutching your ankle like that, Are you hurt?"_

 _"_ _I sprained my ankle yesterday"_ she replied, sparing her the details.

 _"_ _Oh, you know you're lucky" - "for spraining my ankle" - "because it's raining cats and dogs. We can't have any barbecue or beach ball like we planned so we'll be partying indoors? Can you walk?"_ she asked her.

 _"_ _Yes of course, the pain is quite dull now I don't feel most of it. A day will be enough_ _to heal my ankle as healthy as horse"_ she grinned at her. Nanami gave her thumps up _"you sure you don't need anything"._

 _"_ _Positive"_ Miyu beamed at her.

 _"_ _Cool then, be down in an hour Kay"_ she left with that and Miyu sighed in relief. She hated lying but it wasn't a lie right. 'Nanami never asked me how it happened so I wasn't lying to her I just didn't tell her the whole truth, that's it'. She felt good for exactly a fraction of second before her head slopped down, she really hated lying.

 _"_ _I really shouldn't lie to my friends but I can't tell them the truth. What am I supposed to tell them when I'm so confused myself"_ last night came to her mind and her cheeks grew warm. She headed to bathroom to cool herself down a bit.

After an hour everyone was scattered around in the hall or lobby or whatever it was.

 _"_ _So guys since we ignored dear Mother Nature by not praying for good weather, she has taken her revenge upon us"_ Nanami started. Abrupt weather change had bothered her the most and she was determined to have equal fun indoors _"here's what we gonna do, spin the bottle"_

Christene flashed the empty bottle in front of everyone like it was some trophy. Miyu sighed inward, she hated spin the bottle but they didn't have much options if they were restricted to the indoors. She considered going back to her room and read some novels instead, she even had her leg as an excuse but then Nanami was trying so desperately to have fun and it would be wrong on her part for not supporting her friend so she dropped that idea. Just then her eyes flickered to Kanata. He was sitting next to Santa, looking utterly bored. He looked like he would bolt straight for his room any moment now.

'How could someone look so lonely despite of being surrounded by his friends?'

As if sensing her gaze he looked in her direction catching her sneaking on him. She hurriedly looked away, chagrined.

 _"_ _Okay the rule_ _is simple whoever facing the mouth of bottle will have to do whatever others decide and it can be anything AND you cannot say NO. Okay time to take revenge"_ she rubbed her palms together and spun the bottle.

Gradually coming to a halt the mouth of the bottle pointed at Nanami. _"Payback_ _time"_ Christene exclaimed in joy _"asking you to dance is absolutely useless we should think of something else, something cruel"_ Aya said.

She was totally enjoying the opportunity as Nanami was the usual one to give others hell and annoy them seamlessly. Aya even tried to look as much vicious as possible though it was useless for her as her face spoke highly of her kind and loving nature. Nanami looked around as if daring her to give her an impossible situation.

 _"_ _Is there someone you hate here"_ Aya asked. _"Sure quite a lot"_ she replied nonchalantly. Aya took a moment before asking her who. " _Kanata to name one, since I can't name Santa because I love my life dearly"_ she eyed Aya while saying that " _but the one I the hate most is Nouzumo because"_ added seeing Aya who had asked her why _"he's a friend of Kanata and backs him up for everything. He should've confronted him about the way he treated Miyu but then he too is like his friend, an idiot who treat girls like tissues or beings with no feelings"_.

 _"_ _Wow she's quite honest"_ Santa commented eyeing Nouzumo who looked impassive. Miyu couldn't help wondering if he was hurting on the inside. She had a hint that he liked Nanami and then suddenly realised why Aya had specifically asked Nanami that question.

 _"_ _Aya you wouldn't"_ but she gave her a mischievous wink and faced Nanami head-on _"okay then your dare is to kiss the person you hate the most"._

 _"_ _Ouch"_ Miyu commented looking at Nanami who looked like she could do better with a punching bag instead.

After a pause she replied _"I think you just traded positions so can I kiss you instead"._

 _"_ _No running away that was your idea"_ Aya said. Stalemate thought Miyu as she saw Nanami glaring at Aya. Daggers were directed at Aya who surprisingly didn't even flinch. Her motive clearly was to play the cupid and being friends with Nouzumo since middle school Aya also knew that there was a good guy beneath all that Casanova image Nouzumo had built for himself.

With a stony face Nanami leaned forward to kiss Nouzumo on his cheeks and retreated. It was quite a moment for Nanami to be speechless it was probably her first. Miyu literally saw her enthusiasm flushing down the drain but this was Nanami who hardly took a moment to bounce back and declared third world war _"beware! Just wait till you meet the devil godmother"_ her face literally shining with malice and Aya's smile faltered for a fraction of a second before shrugging her threat away.

Next the bottle pointed at Christene who was a superb actor so she enacted actors more like making funny accents that turned into a comic act and everyone cheered her on.

Next the bottle pointed to Nouzumo who decided upon the dare himself _"if you hate me so much then you can slap me as hard as you want for her making you kiss me. Why me? That's because I know you will never hurt your best friend no matter what you say otherwise"_ he said looking at Nanami who raised her eyebrows at his bid daring him to back off if he wasn't serious.

But he didn't react to her threat affirming her that he was serious. She seemed to consider the thought and then after a while agreed. His deadbeat conviction faltered her enthusiasm to slap him hard though but she decided to do it anyway. She took a deep breath and braced herself to give her best shot at it rubbing her palms together. She raised her right hand and slapped him with such politeness that shocked everyone including herself. She retreated to her spot seeming disappointed with herself. And there goes another wicket thought Kanata.

 **how was it?** terrible?okay?good? let me know!

 **sneek peek into next chapter**

Kanata turned to Miyu _"time for my performance princess"_ he said leaning closer to her face while others were still busy praising Mizuki. Her heartbeat quickened by their proximity and he walked back to sit in the middle leaving behind a dazed Miyu staring at his back. He connected his guitar with the speakers and stroked it a few times. A pleasant music began to flow in the air and instantly everyone turned to him. Everyone was looking forward to hear him sing. He closed his eyes taking a deep breath and opened them to look in front of him. Miyu sat right in front of him with Nanami and Christene on either side of her.

One might think he was looking at Christene but she could tell he was definitely looking at her. 'Why am I feeling nervous? He's the one performing not me then why is my heart racing crazy. He is acting strange'.

She couldn't forget the way he had called her princess smiling down at her. His eyes seemed to speak a lot more than he did. Kanata began to play his guitar and she found herself listening to the most beautiful voice she had ever heard. He was singing David Archuletta's 'Crush' which seemed to express everything he was feeling at the moment.


	10. And the game goes on

**Chapter 10 And the game goes on**

Nanami went back to her sitting place and turned around looking thoroughly disappointed with herself. She took a deep breath and coming to a decision said out loud for everyone to hear although she was addressing Nouzumo who looked quite pleased with himself _"Don't even think for a second that I let you off easily, I like destruction but at my own expense. I don't like being bossed around and I don't relish in other's making decisions for me…"_ and she stopped for a while to take a deep breath but Miyu thought she needed time to brace herself for what she was going to say next and it did surprise everyone else what she did say next _"I don't hate you not really"_ she said that so softly that it wouldn't have been heard except for the silence that had followed her less than unenthusiastic attempt to slap Nouzumo.

'No way not Nanami too, Oh god why are they so intent on hooking up with people I want to avoid.' The mere thought of Nanami dating Nouzumo was quite terrifying to say the least for Miyu. Perhaps lights were playing a trick on eyes but she thought she saw Nanami flush a bit under everyone's stare. As the game went on the environment got a little friendlier than before and finally came the turn Nanami had been waiting for. The bottle stopped such that one end was facing Kanata and the other was facing Mizuki.

 _"Alright now I know what we can do about this, let's have a faceoff between the best students of the batch"_ when everyone looked at her in bewilderment she continued relishing the mysterious environment she had created _"Mizuki you dance and Kanata you…."_ She stopped for a while thinking deciding upon the task for him _"do whatever you want to and…" "I think I'll pass_ " Kanata interrupted her but she continued _"…Miyu will judge the performance"_ finished Nanami playing her trump card. She knew Kanata wouldn't back out if Miyu was involved.

 _"What?"_ shouted Miyu.

 _"Listen you can't do anything because of that twisted ankle and lets be honest you hate this game so unless you have a better idea to get yourself involved we are going with mine"_

 _"Hey I can even jump now see"_ said Miyu jumping up and down in order to prove her point but Nanami ignored her outright. Kanata got up and walked out of the room and Miyu heaved a sigh of relief.

 _"See even Saionji thinks this is a stupid idea if you really want a winner then take Mizuki since he's still here"_

 _"Do you really think he's walked out"_ said Nanami jerking her head sideways at her back. Miyu looked around to see Kanata walking back holding a guitar of all the things.

'Is he taking this seriously' she thought. He looked over at Mizuki who looked back at him with equal determination.

'Why are they are taking this so seriously'

 _"You of all people should know that I never walk away from challenges"_ he said looking at Miyu who felt as if he had never really looked at her before. Something was burning in his eyes some conviction she didn't understand or maybe she did but didn't want to think about it.

Nanami turned into a DJ and connected her ipod to a buffer and the whole room was filled with crazy loud beats bouncing off the walls while others cleared the room a bit to create enough space for a made up stage for Mizuki to perform. Mizuki began to dance and it was like watching an elastic stick instead of a human. He jumped from one style of dance form to another so effortlessly that it was quite easy to watch him and forget everything else.

'He really is a dancing prodigy' thought Miyu. Her eyes wandered over to Kanata who looked deep in thought. 'I wonder what he's thinking about? I never knew he could sing but then he's probably the most secretive person I know so I guess it is not a surprise. I wonder which song is he going to chose maybe Beautiful soul by Jesse McCartney but that is your favourite song Miyu not his don't day dream you fool' she was busy contemplating when she noticed the change in the tempo of the song and a hand outstretched in front of her. Mizuki was asking her to get up and dance with him.

 _"I really don't think that is a good idea. I don't dance"_

 _"Trust me Miyu, just trust me and you'll enjoy it"_

Shrugging and still in doubt she got up and Mizuki took her arm and rested upon his shoulders while his hands grabbed her at the waist and he began to swirl her around the room as Intoxicated by The Cab played in the back ground. Miyu didn't even feel like she was dancing it really was easy to let Mizuki guide her and she simply forgot to think and wasn't even aware that she was dancing probably for the first time in her life. Mizuki really was a great dancer. As the song came to an end everybody cheered them on and complimented them on how good they looked together. Well everyone except Kanata who stayed back and watched or rather glared at them while others were busy congratulating them. He walked over to them and literally snatched Miyu out of Mizuki's hands. Until then she didn't even realize that he had been holding her when Kanata practically dragged her away from Mizuki and turned around to look at her.

 _"Time for my performance my princess"_ he said softly leaning down to face her. Her heartbeat quickened as he looked up again and this time Mizuki gave him an understanding look which seemed like signing a pact or something.

'He's so strange. What does he mean by princess and did he really pull me out of Mizuki's hold? Why would he do that?' she looked over to Kanata who was connecting his guitar to a speaker and then he strummed a few chords and the whole room filled with a beautiful melody and everyone looked around to watch him. Nobody had seen him perform earlier and they were eager to watch him perform. Kanata looked straight at the front where Miyu sat in between Nanami and Chris. Though you could have thought he was looking at Chris but Miyu knew he was actually looking at her she just had a feeling that this was something important to him.

'Why is my heart beating like crazy? He's the one performing then why am I getting nervous'

Kanata began to sing and it was the most beautiful voice she had ever heard in her life far better than any of her favourite singers. He was singing David Archuletta's Crush which seemed to convey everything he was feeling right now.

As the song died with the last stroke of the chords everyone erupted in a cheer so loud that it probably woke some poor old animal sleeping in the nearby forest. Everyone cheered on and on as they got up to congratulate him.

Chris declared she had fallen in love again now with his beautiful voice and Santa accused him of being a crappy and never performing in front him. Miyu though simply sat motionless and just stared into the thin air.

'I should probably get up and say something but what should I say. He's definitely far too better than any of us. We work hard to be efficient but for him it's effortless to be naturally good at anything. I should probably just tell him that he's the winner and go back to my room. He must be expecting something. Did he really sing that song for me?'

As she brooded over it more and more she a hard hitting reality crashed down on her. She was falling deeply in love with him. She loved him and she had known that for ages. It was the reason why his every action his every word effected her so deeply. It was the reason she looked forward to everyday just so she could look at him. God she had fallen for him hard and it was terrifying.

'What's wrong with her? Why is she sitting there like statue? Didn't she like it? Is she crying' thought Kanata and walked over to her.

 _"Miyu are you okay? Why are you crying? Is it your leg? Does it hurt? You shouldn't have danced it wasn't healed properly and then you went ahead and strained it. I told you to let me take you to my doctor. Why aren't you saying something? What's wrong?"_ he looked worried.

 _"You're the world's most confusing person I know_ " she told him and walked away leaving him staring at her back.

'What did I do now? What does she mean by confusing? How can I be confusing? Am I not being plainly obvious? If she wants me to spell it out loud I'll do it just for her as long as she's here with me I'll do anything. I'm done running away hiding away. I'll be what you wanted me to be Akira. I'll take the first step you wanted me take. I wouldn't have known you know. If I hadn't watched Mizuki dance with her I might have left Heiomachi just to keep away from her but then the mere idea of someone else touching her, making her smile is so infuriating that I can't walk away. I was convinced by the time when they stopped dancing that I would never be able to walk away. Not this time. I know I love her and I will do anything to win her over. I know she likes me too. I can see it in her eyes she's just too damn stubborn to realize that she wants me as much as I want her. I can't stand the thought of her being with someone else. I am going to run after you Miyu even if it takes forever I'll follow you till the end because I am not running away. Not this time and I know you won't run away too. I know you love me and if I have to convince you of that then it doesn't matter, I will convince you no matter what'

With that conviction glowing within Kanata looked at the closed door to Miyu's room and thought of ways to get her alone. He laughed at the irony merely less than 24 hours ago he was thinking of ways to keep her away and now all he wanted was to hold her and never let go.

 **How was it?** good? okay? terrible? please let me know

 **Sneek peek into the next chapter**

 _"What do you mean by someone, don't you get it"_ his voice masked with shock and anger and irritation. _"Get what"_ she asked him innocently looking confused.

 _"You really didn't understand any of it"_ he said looking at her.

She watched him in confusion eyebrows drawn together and he looked at her in exasperation.

 _"Sometimes you really are dense Miyu"_ he said clutching at her arms.

Miyu was surprised at his outburst _"I'm sorry Kanata but what's wrong, did I…"_ she never completed that sentence as his lips closed on hers. She was too stunned to react at all. Before she could do anything he broke that kiss and she sat wondering why her heart had stopped beating all of sudden. His forehead touching hers like they were the same part of two different bodies as they breathed together to calm down their racing hearts, they kept breathing in harmony till their hearts were back to normal.


	11. His story

**Chapter 11 His story**

Miyu had marched straight back to her room to put some physical distance between Kanata and her. Mindless staring out from her balcony did nothing whatsoever to lift her mood when she suddenly realised that it had stopped raining and a clear blue sky was staring at her promising to lift her mood. She grabbed a light jacket and went downstairs shrugging it on.

Everyone was already out, enjoying the weather to the fullest. She walked over to Nanami who was busy munching on sandwiches. Others occasionally made stops to grab something to eat. Watching all that food she felt hungry. She had not had anything since yesterday night and she was suddenly famished.

 _"_ _Help yourself Miyu, you haven't had anything since morning"_ Nanami invited her. Miyu sat next to her grabbing a sandwich and some orange juice. After having finished eating she stood up _"care for a walk Nanami?"_ she asked. _"Nope I'm loaded way too much. I think I'll just sit here for sometime till I feel normal again"_.

 _"_ _I just don't understand where all that food goes_ " she commented.

 _"_ _It has something to with metabolism I think"_ Nanami winked at her and started to munch yet another sandwich.

Miyu turned to take a good look of the beach. At some distance she spotted few rocks and a small cliff. She headed in that direction. She was all alone but strangely didn't feel lonely at all. She climbed the highest cliff and sat at the top looking over the vastness of the ocean. It was a beautiful sight and despite being a hydrophobic she sat there carefully keeping her distance from the water and wondering at its beauty. The rise and fall of waves were like a beautiful lullaby and she found herself drifting to sleep. She woke up to a dark night sky. Startled she tried to sit up and lost her balance but firm hands were holding her before she could slip down from top of the cliff.

 _"_ _Careful, quiet a comfortable place to fall asleep"_ Kanata said.

He's mocking me but she didn't feel that rush of anger like always instead she ignored him completely. His strong hands were holding her firmly and he dragged her towards himself helping her to sit properly.

 _"_ _Thanks, how long was I out_ " she asked him.

 _"_ _Not much, maybe three hours"_ he said with a straight face.

 _"_ _And that's not long?"_ she asked him. He shrugged at her.

 _"_ _Were you here the whole time"_ she asked him again.

 _"_ _For the most part"_ he nodded his head.

He turned towards the ocean. The water bed gleamed with moonlight and sky was filled with the stars and the mysterious constellations she always wondered about. They sat in silence for a while till Kanata decided to break it _"Miyu can I ask you something?"_

She turned to look at him _"What?"_

 _"_ _W_ _hat did you mean when you said I was confusing you?"_ he asked looking into her eyes. She was silent and he thought she wouldn't reply but she did " _I honestly don't know"._

 _"_ _You know you're the most honest person I've ever met besides Santa but he's my childhood friend so his opinion doesn't count"_.

She smiled at him and looked in front at the ocean. The night was beautiful & for some strange reason she felt really happy sitting there.

 _"_ _I was barely three when my mother died"_ Miyu stiffened at his words _"you really don't have to say anything"_.

" _No I've to before I chicken out I need tell you everything"_ she took his hand  & covered it with hers. God it really felt so natural to do that.

 _"_ _She died of cancer and I was raised by my caretaker Wanya. My father drowned himself in his work to escape from her memories. I don't remember much of her but I do remember her singing lullaby to me before going to sleep every night. I remember her loving me playing with me till the day she fell suddenly while she was running trying to catch me. I was so scared because she didn't say anything. Wanya called dad, he was in some other country while we took her to the hospital. He came to the hospital next day. I had been crying all the while till I saw him. He picked me up and told me everything will be fine, that mom will be fine. He handed me to Wanya and went to see the doctor. When he came back he didn't look at me, he didn't sooth me like before. I kept calling out to him but he simply left me there all alone, not even sparing a backward glance. I looked at Wanya who was crying. He picked me up and followed dad. I kept crying for my mom who didn't listen to me, for dad who refused to look at me and left me to myself. I cried till I fell asleep. Next day when I woke up I was told mom was gone, left for some place she would never come back from. I don't remember the funeral but my dad went back to his business, leaving me all alone. I cried mostly every day._ _I cried for my parents, my mother who would never come back and for my father who didn't want to come back, who had left me all alone. I cried till I ran out of tears and stopped asking for anything. I met Santa in kindergarten where he never left my side even when I never spoke to him for almost two years. Then gradually I started warming up to him and we became best friends. I was in Tokyo back then and my father was always on some business tour. He rarely came home and whenever he did he looked older than before. Time flew past and when I turned fourteen a girl named Akira was transferred to my class. She was beautiful and every guy in our school approached her on her first week itself but she rejected all of them politely. One day I saw her being cornered by some seniors of our school in a silent corner. She looked really scared so I went to help her_.

 **Flashback**

 _"_ _Leave her alone"_ said 14 year old Kanata.

 _"_ _We're your senior you really think you can take us all by yourself. Go save your ass kiddo"._

Sure he was young but he was as tall as any of them and stronger because of his regular taekwondo training. He took up the challenge and dismissed them single handedly.

 _"_ _Thanks"_ said Akira.

 _"_ _No problem, do you walk to your home all by yourself"_ _._

 _"_ _No,_ _not every day. Only when my father doesn't come to pick me"_

 _"_ _Okay I'll drop you home_ " he said and after dropping her home he turned to his house.

Next day they met in the class. She smiled at him and he nodded at her.

 _"_ _Ooh Akira what did you do to Saionji. He never talks to girls or anyone and now he's nodding at you"._

She kept quiet and with time they started talking and spending time with each other, beginning to know each other. She was really very kind and soft hearted. He had never met someone with such pure heart before. She was the kind of person who would happily donate her kidney to a stranger she met while walking down the road. She was a great cook and she always brought lunch for him and Santa. They became really good friends and he started liking her.

One day he finally confessed to her and was delighted to know that she liked him too. Everyone at school was shocked by their relationship since Kanata was not popular for being social but despite that they were dating. They loved each other very much. She had filled the void in his life with her affection and love. He couldn't imagine his life without her. With time their love only grew stronger and they were inseparable. He was really happy and started going out with his friends. He was slowly becoming friendlier with everyone. Her love was bringing out his brighter side, moulding him into a better person every day. He started warming up to everyone. He no longer stayed in isolation.

Everything was good till the mid-session when suddenly Kanata noticed changes in her. She was always distracted, deep in thought.

One day he asked her _"_ _Hey_ _are you okay? I've been noticing you for quite a while and you don't seem like yourself. You're acting weird. What's wrong?"_

 _"_ _Nothing I'm just distracted because daddy's having some trouble at his office. Nothing for you to worry about"_ she replied smiling at him.

After a week he received a call from her late in the evening. She sounded scared and he grew anxious. He told her he was on his way. When he reached her flat it was unlocked. Everything was scattered in the room.

 _"_ _Akira, where are you?"_ he called out to her. He walked to her room and stopped dead at the sight. Everything was in chaos but what held his eyes was the body lying in the middle of the room. Her clothes were torn badly and she was bleeding profusely. Someone had stabbed her with a knife.

He ran to her screaming her name _"Akira, god Akira please say something. Who did this? I'll call the ambulance"_ he picked his cell up and called for the ambulance. He took her head in his lap.

 _"_ _Kanata I'm so sorry for not keeping our promise. I promised to stay forever but I don't think I'll make it"_ she said tears running down her face.

 _"_ _Don't say that, everything will be okay. You're going to be alright. I'm right here"_ his words sounded hollow even to himself. Too much blood had been lost, her chances to live were slim and he was trying desperately to keep her alive. _"Kanata will you promise me something"_ she asked him.

 _"_ _Anything baby, anything"_ he said tears staining his face.

 _"_ _When I'm gone, you'll not go back to being the way you were when we met. You'll be happy and stay the way you are now. Do you promise me to embrace love when it comes to you"_ she tried to take his hand into her.

He took her hand _"Oh baby that'll never happen. I can't let you go. We'll have our forever"_.

 _"_ _Please Kanata, I need you to promise me please_ " she begged.

 _"_ _I love you Akira, I can't love anyone else other than you"_ he said.

 _"_ _Please Kanata for me promise me you'll give yourself another chance"_.

He stared at her face while she bled to death, 15 minutes later ambulance arrived but she was already gone. Her body was taken for the autopsy and the results had been shocking. She had been raped before being stabbed to death by a poisonous knife. Further investigations had revealed that she was being stalked by a guy who had threatened her of dire consequences in case if she reported anything to the police. He had been waiting for an opportunity that he chanced upon that day when her father was out of station. He had forced entrance in her flat and had raped her before stabbing her several times. Then he had fled from the place but the police was able to get hold of him. Kanata saw to it that he was convicted for her murder & was awarded death sentence.

 _"After her death I relapsed, becoming worse than ever. I barely spoke, not even with Santa. But still Santa never left my side and somehow managed to bring me back on track. We moved to Heiomachi far away from her haunting memories. I grew solitary once again, minimising my social life to almost nothing. I started concentrating on my studies and sports instead. And one day I received a letter from my father asking me to bring my girlfriend back home (in Tokyo) for some business party. It was a very important business party but was to be attended by couples only. My father was going with his secretary while I decided to ditch it. But my father's perpetual insistence left me with no choice and I had to ask Christene to be my girlfriend for the evening. Asking her was easy because she was used to attending such parties and she was a good match for someone who could act like she liked me since she obviously likes me. So we went to that party as a couple. Although I had made it clear that it was only for an evening but somehow I think she never really got out of her character"._

Kanata breathed deeply after telling her everything. He couldn't seem to look at her face. Recounting everything had caused so much pain but he needed to go through all this in order to let it go, to move on in life. He looked at Miyu. She was looking at him, tears running down her face as she gripped his hands tightly.

 _"_ _I had no idea you've been through so much. It's cruel to face so much pain at such young age. Sorry I'm bad at handling emotional stuff. All I can do is cry"_ she said. She tried to smile at him but she couldn't bring herself to do that, after hearing something like that how could someone smile but she still tried just for him. Her heart tore at his pain as she saw tears escaping his eyes.

He is too young to go through so much. It was not fair for him to face all of this all alone. Suddenly she hugged him tightly and after a moment he hugged her back. They remained like that for forever till his tears dried out.

 _"_ _Are you okay?"_ she asked him softly after some time. He nodded his head at her. _"Don't worry Kanata. I'm here. I'll be here for you. You can always rely on me"_ she looked up at him smiling.

His eyes widened with surprise and he looked at her _"you know why I told you all this because I've decided to fulfil my promise to Akira. Her parting words were for me to move on in my life and I've finally decided to move on"_ he said his face glowing with determination.

Her heart skipped a beat at his words. What does he mean by moving on? Does he like someone? She felt a pang of jealousy as she imagined him with a girl and she felt her heart constrict at the thought. And then she felt stupid for getting jealous of some invisible, unknown face. Her stupidity almost made her smile as she felt happy for him, happy that he had decided to move on with his life. He truly deserved someone who could take care of him and give him all the love he had been abandoned even if it kills her to watch him with someone else.

She smiled at him _"I'm happy for you. You truly deserve someone in your life who can love you. You know you're not that evil when you let your guard down. I guess you should do that more often"_ she said trying to cheer him up even when she felt her own heart breaking with every word she said. He deserved someone far better than her, someone who could love him equally and someone who was brave enough to love him back with everything wholeheartedly, not somebody damaged like her.

 _"_ _What do you mean by someone, don't you get it"_ his voice masked with shock and anger and irritation. _"Get what"_ she asked him innocently looking confused.

 _"_ _You really didn't understand any of it"_ he said looking at her.

She watched him in confusion eyebrows drawn together and he looked at her in exasperation.

 _"_ _Sometimes you really are dense Miyu"_ he said clutching at her arms.

Miyu was surprised at his outburst _"I'm sorry Kanata but what's wrong, did I…"_ she never completed that sentence as his lips closed on hers. She was too stunned to react at all. Before she could do anything he broke that kiss and she sat wondering why her heart had stopped beating all of a sudden. His forehead was touching hers like they were the same part of two different bodies as they breathed together to calm down their racing hearts, they kept breathing in harmony till their hearts were back to normal.

 _"_ _Miyu I …"_ his mobile rang and he was about to disconnect it but then saw the caller id.

 _"_ _What is it and it better be a good reason or I'll kill you Santa"_ he snapped, looking furious for being interrupted. Miyu couldn't help but wonder staring at his face. He really did have temper issues didn't he, no wonder he is so distant from others.

 _"_ _She is with me, okay we'll be right back"_ he hung up _"we've have to go back, apparently they decided this moment to notice our absence and they are worried about you"._

 **how was it?** terrible?okay?good? let me know!

 **sneek peek into next chapter**

 _"_ _I'm not avoiding you Kanata. Why will I do that, you're over thinking. You are just a friend and I don't avoid my friends"._

He inched closer to her and she tried to retreat but in vain because of the wall. _"Miyu you know that I like you but I won't force you. I promise I'll never cross my line again after this"._

 _"_ _After what, what do you mean again?"_ she barely had the time to ask as his lips crashed with hers and she was rendered speechless while he kissed her. She didn't know what to do. After all it was her first proper kiss and it felt damn good and wrong at the same time and after a very long time he broke the kiss and touched his forehead to hers once again trying to convey some of the things he felt for her.


	12. Are you avoiding me?

**Chapter 12 Are you avoiding me?**

Their trip ended with unprecedented turn of events with the biggest change being a somewhat cordial Kanata and Miyu closely followed by Nanami warming up to Nouzumo and the rest (read: Kanata and Santa). Everyone was relieved since there were no cold vibes anymore and the whole group emerged stronger than ever before with no rivalries for the time being. Kanata and Miyu were now on talking terms but nothing really did change as they continued arguing about everything like before. Miyu always felt comfortable with him around. Actually she felt more than comfortable with him, something she couldn't put into words. Ever since that night she had been trying hard to understand why had he kissed her? She was not that dense so she knew kissing someone meant you liked them but then they were stark rivals. They were not meant to be together. She could clearly see it but perhaps he couldn't and somehow she needed to make that clear to him. Despite of the fact that she liked him more than ever now, she could still not let him near her at least not in any romantic sort of way, she had commitment issues but that was not the only reason why they couldn't be together.

'In a relationship' a phrase that made her claustrophobic. For someone who loved her independence as much as she did she could never commit to one person forever. Probably it was the reason why she had never had any boyfriend. Once she had tried it out of curiosity (read: her only attempt to change her life in order to avoid her past) which ended in a disaster with her running away from that guy and she had to change her school in order to completely avoid him merely at the end of a month. During that really short time she had felt so bounded as if she was dragging something heavy around all the time and felt like she could not breathe freely. And every second felt like she was being held up with nowhere to escape to. That's how she had realised that she was commitment phobic. Also her past gave her valid reasons to ignore boys and any kind of future relationships. But with every passing moment it was getting harder to avoid Saionji. Ever since they became friends it became almost impossible not to confront him. Suddenly he was everywhere in their classroom, during the lunch break and even in the basketball court always in her opponent team (to train the girls team they had started practising with the boys team).

The starting weeks of the final year of high school went by in a frenzy like any other new academic session. The preparations for the cultural festival of school were on with great enthusiasm and everyone except for a certain person was excited for this year's unique event. Honestly Miyu was dreading the day. She stopped to look at that abominable poster that stood pinned to the notice board with her face staring back at her next to Kanata's.

She flashed back to the moment she was informed about the hateful event when she along with Kanata was summoned to their principal's office the previous day. _"I'm really happy to inform you both that this year we are raising charity for the poor children using our fest as a medium"_ their overly enthusiastic headmaster informed them grinning.

 _"_ _That's really a very nice thing to do sir, I'll be more than happy to help"_ Miyu replied reflecting his enthusiasm. She loved social service it meant helping people as much as you could with contentment as a reward.

 _"_ _Great I'm relieved to find that you both agree"._

 _"_ _Who said both of us agree? First tell us what are we supposed to do"_ Kanata snapped. Only he could talk to the Principal like that and get away with it.

Getting nervous from the condescending aura he was emitting their principal replied with a small voice _"well uh we thought um in order to catch maximum attention um we needed to do something different so we've decided...decided on putting some acts from final year students together with...um um the event ending with a special dance performance... by the school presidents, that is, you both"_. He gave them a hopeful look.

Miyu shook her head in disbelief _"I thought you said dance performance, surely you're joking right"_ _._

 _"_ _I'm not. Everyone was thrilled by this idea since it would attract most of the youth from the other schools and people ship you both a lot. You both are very popular so it was the best idea we could come up with"_ he replied.

 _"_ _No way, I can't do that"_ she was shaking her head furiously.

 _"_ _But you just agreed to do anything, you can't back off now"_ _._

 _"_ _I said anything but I don't dance. I'm not dancing in front of the whole freakin town. Sorry sir but that's impossible. We'll think of something else"._

She kept asking him to change his mind while Kanata stood there silently watching them then abruptly he gave his consent _"I am fine with it"._

He stood smiling at them and she wanted to kill him right there. She forced herself to ignore the temptation _"even if you agree I'm not doing this"_ shaking her head violently. Suddenly headmaster grabbed her hands looking at her with pleading puppy dog eyes _"please Miyu, I've already circulated the invitations to other schools. I thought you loved your school. Can't you do that much for me or for your school? Please do this for those children"._

The situation was getting out of control. _"But sir you don't understand. I really don't know how to dance then how am I supposed to perform"_ she desperately tried to defend herself for the last time.

 _"_ _Don't worry about that. I'll teach you"_ Kanata provided.

He looked way too enthusiastic for someone who wasn't interested a while ago and it took all her effort to not give into her temptation to strangle him. All her efforts had been futile and she had had to agree eventually.

Now she stood in the corridor staring at that atrocious poster of her and Kanata. She sighed deeply wishing the day would never end. She was to start her practice sessions with Kanata from today for next two weeks till their fest. Inevitably classes ended and she headed to the auditorium praying it would be empty but the moment she entered she froze. It seemed like whole school had gathered to catch their practice sessions. She turned around on impulse and crashed straight into Kanata. His arms wrapped around her holding her instinctively as he looked down to her face _"What's wrong? Are you okay?"_

 _"_ _No I'm not. Performing once is dreadful enough I can't embarrass myself in front of whole school every day"_ she sounded hysterical. Kanata looked at her and suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace. She really was scared and he couldn't help but wonder at her vulnerability beneath that strong demeanour she usually projected.

 _"_ _My god Miyu, you are such a mess. Who would have guessed you of all people had stage fear higher than the Mount Everest. Its okay, if you don't want to do this then you don't have to push yourself unnecessarily. I'll go tell the principal to cancel it"_ he said still holding her _._

 _"_ _How long do you plan to hold me like this?"_

 _"_ _As long as you don't calm down I am not letting you go"._

Well I'm never letting you go but he kept that thought to himself.

After a few moments she felt a lot calmer and even though she would never admit but she actually liked his gesture. _"I'm fine now thanks and there is no need to cancel the event. Invitations have been circulated and those kids are far more important than 5 minutes of humiliation"_ she replied trying to smile.

 _"_ _You're giving those unknown kids higher priority. You really are…stupid and as a reward for your stupidity I'll make sure no one catches our practice sessions. Just leave it to me"_ he winked at her and disappeared into the auditorium.

She summoned all the courage she had and entered through the door. He had kept his promise as there was no one in here apart from them. He stood at the centre of stage deep in thought.

'I should ask Mizuki & Nanami to help us'. She picked her cell to call them but suddenly he was standing in front of her holding her arm in an attempt to stop her from making that call.

 _"_ _Don't"_

 _"_ _What? Leave my hand"_ she snapped. Amazing how he could be so hateful right after being so gentle.

 _"_ _Okay go ahead and call them if you want to burden them with one more event. With the fest around the corner they already have enough in their platter. Besides I don't want Mizuki here"_ he replied blatantly.

Shocked, she tried to deny _"I wasn't calling anyone for help."_

He raised an eyebrow and leaned down to face her " _didn't anyone tell you that you are a lousy liar Miyu Kouzuki"._

Their proximity sent her heart into frenzy and she reflexively took a step back. He inched toward her and she kept backing from him.

 _"_ _What's gotten into you? Why are you behaving so weirdly"_ she stammered.

She faltered at the edge of a stair losing her balance. But instead of falling down she found herself being whirled in the mid air and pushed against the wall with Kanata's hands at her waist holding her firmly. She couldn't bring herself to look into his face. Her heart was beating so loud that she wouldn't be amazed if he could hear it.

 _"_ _Can I ask you something Miyu?"_ his hands were on the wall on both the sides of her head, trapping her between the wall and his body. She tried to keep as much distance as possible in that small room she had in between them.

 _"_ _What?"_ she asked trying but massively failing to sound firm.

 _"_ _Why are you running away? Ever since that evening you have been avoiding anything that involves me. You don't even look into my eyes anymore while talking to me. You weren't like that before. Earlier you used to challenge me whenever you had the opportunity and you used to do that while staring straight into my eyes. But now you even refuse to get into same room as me. Did you really think I wouldn't notice it? Why are doing this, why are you avoiding me Miyu"_ his eyes glazed with strange emotions.

 _"_ _I'm not avoiding you Kanata. Why will I do that, you're over thinking. You are just a friend and I don't avoid my friends"._

He inched closer to her and she tried to retreat but in vain because of the wall. _"Miyu you know that I like you but I won't force you. I promise I'll never cross my line again after this"._

 _"_ _After what, what do you mean again?"_ she barely had the time ask as his lips crashed with hers and she was rendered speechless while he kissed her. She didn't know what to do. After all it was her first proper kiss and it felt damn good and wrong at the same time. After an eternity he broke the kiss and touched his forehead to hers.

 _"_ _I'll wait till you are sure about your feelings for me because I know you feel for me too, you're just being stubborn as usual denying it. And now would be the time to concentrate on our dance practice okay"_ he said pulling back from her with a grin on his face. He looked really happy as if he had won some sort of lottery as he made his way back to the stage leaving her with a racing heart that threatened to escape out of her mouth.

'The nerve of this guy to torment me and then act like as if nothing happened! Pervert! Jerk! Idiot!' That was all she could do, scream in her head as she followed him back to the stage.

Every day after classes they met at the auditorium and like he had promised no body sneaked upon them and neither did he cross his line. She was happy like that. Despite of having feelings for her he kept his distance and she grew habitual to his presence. Both of them kept squabbling about everything but then that was absolutely natural for them.

They, actually he, had decided on a contemporary act where all she had to do was keep her balance while he would be doing the hard work of dragging & spinning her around. The song was a romantic number 'Wait for you' by Elliott Yasmin. Miyu wondered at his talent. It turned out he was an effortless dancer too.

 _"_ _Tell me honestly, what is the name of your planet? You're definitely not human. Humans aren't supposed to be perfect"._

 _"_ _Quit asking stupid questions and concentrate on the moves instead, we've to perform in the evening"_ he retorted and she stuck out her tongue at him.

After the dress rehearsals they gathered at the auditorium in the evening. Whole school was decorated beautifully and she made a mental note to congratulate Christene and Nouzumo for their job. Everyone was excited. She felt goose bumps on her skin as she got ready for their act. It was the final act of the evening with the fireworks to mark the end of the fest.

She checked herself into the mirror for the last time looking for any signs of anything over the top. Her makeup was light and she was sporting a beautiful lavender frock like dress that made her look like a doll, cute and soothing to eyes. She stepped out of the green room making her way to the backstage.

Finally her nerves caught up to her while she tried desperately to keep herself calm as she waited for Kanata. He was nowhere to be seen and she had gotten so used to his presence that she was already feeling lonely without him. Closing her eyes to calm herself she took a deep breath and when she opened them there he was, standing next to her in a tuxedo without bow tie looking exceptionally hot and handsome as hell. She had to look away from him to stop herself from staring.

 _"_ _You look... beautiful Miyu. I'm finding it really hard to keep my promise"_ he whispered against her bare neck. Her heartbeat quickened and she frantically looked around to see if anyone was looking at them but there was no one. Apparently everybody wanted to watch them perform. He took her hand in his as their names were announced. With the music they began to dance. Her heart was beating like crazy at first as Kanata whirled her around the stage but soon she forgot everything else. All her attention was on him and she let him guide her through the song. Before she knew it the act was over and the crowd erupted in a loud chorus of cheers. As she looked over to him with joy she felt different, she felt complete. That evening bridged the gap she had created between them.

 **how was it?** terrible?okay?good? let me know!

 **sneek peek into next chapter**

 _"So you can obviously cook too"_ she almost blamed him, for what she didn't know.

 _"I take it you are not happy with that"._

 _"No, it's just that you are so perfect. You can do anything"._

 _"Well thank you for the compliment"_ and he looked up to smile at her and then resumed his chopping.

Miyu took her time to drink him in; he was really an exquisite sight, too handsome to be real. No wonder I was so affected by him. Watching him chop vegetables in her kitchen gave her a feeling of being couples, like newly married couples and she blushed at the idea. Great Miyu not even 24 hours and he is making you think about marriage.

 _"A penny for your thought"_ she looked up to see he was watching her intently. She tried to scowl at him but failed massively so ignored him.

 _"No problem, I can pretty much guess what you were thinking"_ and he gave her that carefree smile not his usual cold smile that did not reach his eyes, the smile she had fallen in love with.


	13. The confession

**Chapter 12 The confession**

They stood in the centre of the stage waiting for the curtains to close. They heard the flurry of rushing steps making their way out of the auditorium in order to catch the fireworks. Kanata pulled her to himself and almost dragged her to the second floor, ushering her into a dark classroom. She gripped his arm tightly as her fear of dark kicked in.

 _"Don't worry Miyu, you're safe with me"_ he reassured her and led her to a window. He pushed open the doors and she knew instantly why he had dragged her in there. They could watch the fireworks and it looked beautiful. She felt arms wrapping around her as Kanata held her, her back pressed to his chest. She felt a bit awkward at first but then relaxed in his arms as they stood there watching, his chin resting on top of her head.

 _"It's beautiful"_ she whispered.

 _"I know"_ somehow she felt he wasn't talking about the fireworks. She turned to look at him and fair enough he was looking down at her.

 _"Miyu, that night what I wanted to tell you was, is that I love you. Even if you don't want to love me, my love is enough for both of us though I would prefer it if you love me back but I know your hesitation and I understand it. I want to know you better. You never cease to amaze me and that's something I love about you"_ he bent down on his knee and pulled out a ring.

Miyu gaped at him like a goldfish, picturing how stupid she must look she snapped her mouth shut. It was a very un-lady like behaviour.

 _"Miyu Kouzuki, will you be my girlfriend, will you be the love of my life because all I want is to be with you. I'll follow you to any corner of this world, till we live, forever. And I am not proposing you for marriage though that is my long term plan but the ring and all, I'm a bit old fashioned you see"_ he scratched his head giving her a cute almost embarrassed smile.

She laughed because that was all she could think of at the moment. She wanted to say yes but her commitment phobia told her to run like Usain Bolt. She was torn between the choices so she simply stared at him her face blank.

 _"Miyu will you be kind enough to say something. My knees hurt like hell"._

 _"Oh I'm so sorry. Why don't you stand up?"_

 _"First say something"._

 _"I err…"_ she shook her head like she was halfway through saying yes and no.

Her mind said this will damage the relationship they already had but her heart wanted to say yes.

 _"Miyu, please...I'm dying here"_ he looked in real pain. She couldn't guess how much of it was because of him kneeling down.

She bent down to his level _"Kanata you don't understand. You mean a lot to me but I...I have…"_

 _"Commitment issues"_ he interrupted her _"I thought so, your entire personality screams commitment phobic. But can't you give us a chance, I swear if it doesn't work out, I'll walk away with my broken heart and you'll get to live in peace. Don't worry about that but please just give us a chance, please"._

 _"You know, I've always liked you. If I ever want any sort of relationship then it should rather be with you than anyone else but I'm scared that I'll ruin it...I'll ruin something beautiful"_ she looked down.

He hoisted her chin up so that she could look at his face _"you'll not ruin this Miyu. You're amazing and you can never ruin anything...don't be doubtful. Just listen to your heart"._

She looked at him. She loved him, obviously she loved him but did she love him enough...but his face was so expectant and so full of love for her and that made her resolve. She knew that they were made for each other...never to part. She nodded so lightly that Kanata blinked, did I imagine it or did she just say yes. She blushed and he had his answer. Huge grin appeared on his face as he slipped that ring into her finger and hugged her. This time there was no stopping him and he kissed her...kissed her like she was never kissed before. This amazing person was his at last and he was happy. His happiness doubled when she kissed him back, neither of them wanting to break apart. The sexual tension between them had been way too long and neither of them moved away. He leaned forward kissing every part of her face, her eyes, her nose, her cheek and her throat. She sank her hands into his soft hairs pulling him closer as she felt his desire for her. She gasped as he gazed down at her, his eyes dark with passion.

 _"You know I'm a virgin"_ she teased trying to gauge his reaction.

 _"It's okay, I don't want to rush things"_ he replied playing with a strand of her hair. _"But I..."_ she flushed at what she was about to say. He raised his eyebrow at her _"but you obviously want to"_ he said smirking at her. His scorching gaze told her he wanted her equally.

 _"My place"_ was all she could say. Soon enough they were out of school before anyone could find them and they reached her house in record time. She fumbled with the keys and he took them from her hand and opened the door of her house, for her. They entered and she closed the door behind them. She turned to look at him heart thudding suddenly feeling self conscious and scared.

He walked over to her _"You don't really have to rush. I'll be happy with few kisses"_ he spoke softly and somehow managed to embarrass her further. Two teenagers madly in love, all alone in a house with hormones running wild is not a really good news for parents. Soon enough they were in her room, sprawled on her bed as they tried to mark every part of each other's body with kisses.

Miyu was happy that she had waited for the right person, happy that she was with the person who loved her so much, happy to share and build such a precious bond with him. She cherished every moment of the night and they fell asleep together, holding each other in their arms. It was Sunday so they stayed in bed longer and showered together playing with water, throwing things at each other, bickering, laughing and enjoying their time together. Later she grabbed his clothes for him wrapping a towel gown around her and went down to make some breakfast. She tried to summon a will-have-to-do breakfast with her lethal cooking skills.

Kanata joined her in the kitchen, one glance at her attempt and he threw her out of the kitchen announcing that now that she was his girlfriend he had no intention to die young, earning a punch from her.

But he was too fast for her and before she knew it she was in his arms and he was kissing her. He found it as his favourite way to shut her up cause every time he kissed her she almost stopped breathing and he had to remind her to breathe. He wondered if he would ever get used to that.

 _"So you can obviously cook too"_ she almost blamed him, for what she didn't know.

 _"I take it you are not happy with that"._

 _"No, it's just that you are so perfect. You can do anything"._

 _"Well thank you for the compliment"_ and he looked up to smile at her and then resumed his chopping.

Miyu took her time to drink him in; he was really an exquisite sight, too handsome to be real. No wonder I was so affected by him. Watching him chop vegetables in her kitchen gave her a feeling of being couples, like newly married couples and she blushed at the idea. Great Miyu not even 24 hours into the relationship and he is making you think about marriage.

 _"A penny for your thought"_ she looked up to see he was watching her intently. She tried to scowl at him but failed massively so ignored him.

 _"No problem, I can pretty much guess what you were thinking"_ and he gave her that carefree smile not his usual cold smile that did not reach his eyes, the smile she had fallen in love with. She had assumed that things would change after last night but she was glad to find that they were still their same old bickering, arguing, fighting selves. They talked and played card games loosing the track of time when they were suddenly pulled back into the reality as the doorbell rang.

Miyu frowned as he stood up to open the door. She headed back to her room to change into cloths; she was still wrapped in her towel gown when she heard familiar voices coming from the living room. It seemed like her whole group was here. She headed back and almost had a panic attack when she realised that Kanata was still wearing clothes from last night and none of them were stupid to not guess why he hadn't changed and why he was in her house. They would take less than a second to comprehend what was going on and suddenly she was too embarrassed to go down so she turned back to her room instead but she was stopped by strong, firm hands.

Turning around she saw Kanata holding her, he seemed to have guessed her source of embarrassment and he gave her a reassuring smile. Literally dragging her down the steps along with him he made his way back to the living room where their friends were waiting for her. A quick glance around the room told her that everyone was here. _"Hey Miyu, you were superb last night"_ she received hugs from her best friends and everyone was kind enough not to comment on neither her ring nor Kanata's cloths or his presence and she began to relax.

 _"Nanami, what are you doing?"_ asked Miyu as her friend held her at arm's length, scrutinising her from head to toe.

 _"You look different Miyu"_ she said in her very own matter of fact tone _"You know we came here to surprise you but you surprised us instead. Well, not exactly a surprise since we knew it would happen sooner or later. But I'm happy that you both decided to take it further finally"_ she hugged her again.

Miyu beamed at her and from the corner of her eye looked at Kanata who was deeply engrossed with Santa. As if sensing her gaze he turned in her direction, winked at her & then resumed his talk with his best friend.

 _"Girl, you've got it bad"_ commented Aya as Miyu blushed.

Kanata looked at her again, a blushing Miyu was new for him and it seemed like he couldn't have enough of that. She looked so cute, so adorable that he wanted to kiss her. Heck I can kiss her anytime I want she's my girlfriend after all he thought as he walked over to where she was talking with the rest of her girl friends. He tapped on her shoulder.

 _"_ _Care to join me in the kitchen"_ he asked. She looked at him quizzically _"we should prepare snacks for everyone"_ he suggested and she told her friends to make themselves comfortable to which they agreed happily and stalked him to kitchen. _"Kanata you know I am hopeless in the kitchen why did you ask me to join you?"_ _"Oh I just wanted to do this"_ she was ready with another question but it never came as his lips met hers, rendering her speechless. Surprised she forgot to breathe again.

 _"_ _Breathe Miyu, breathe_ " he told her in between his kisses as she melted in his arms. _"Let's see what we can do. Can't have them waiting for too long or else they'll get ideas what is stopping us"_ he teased her making her blush further.

He started preparing sandwiches while she ensured there were soft drinks in her freezer, which was about all she could do in there so she just stared at him while he gracefully moved around in her kitchen preparing snacks for their friends. Sometimes he looked up catching her ogling at him making her blush now and then. It was one of the best days as she spent half of the day with Kanata and rest with all her friends but sadly it came to an end as they all retired for the evening. Kanata lingered till the very end, promising to call her once he reached home. Sure enough he did and they talked till she fell asleep to him singing a lullaby for her.

 **how was it?** terrible?okay?good? let me know!1

Hey guys well this is the end of part 1 of the story and for those who find this story boring or for whatever reason do not want to read further can always end up here because in a way it is a happy ending but for those who want to read further they can happily let me know...please please i do need reviews...good or bad t doesn't matter at least i'l know that there are people who want to read my story...well those who want to continue here you go

 **sneek peek into next chapter**

She was looking around when she felt someone come and stand beside her. Kanata is early she thought as she turned to face him and stopped breathing when she realised who it was.

 _"_ _I see you've grown into a very beautiful girl, little Miyu"._

Her heart was beating so fast she feared it will burst if it kept that pace while fear paralysed her.

 _"_ _You don't seem happy to see me"_ Seiya said in a mock hurt tone " _don't worry little Miyu, I'm not here to torment you. As I always said, you are very special to me and I was devastated to find out that you had left but don't worry I'm here now and I plan to make up for all the time lost"_

 _"_ _Please, why are you here? Why can't you leave me alone?"_ she couldn't help noticing the desperation in her voice.


	14. Past meets present

hey everyone in case you are reading this then most probably you've decided to endure this story and i'm grateful for that. Please do review and let me know how is it...your reviews will boost my confidence since this is my first story ever...Well thank you for your time and hopefully your support...here it goes...please don't hate on me if this doesn't live up to your expectations...REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW...PLEASE REVIEW

 **Chapter 14 Past meets the present**

She woke up early the next day and walked over to her school it was quite empty. She went to sit near her favourite tree, taking out her new novel from the soul bearer series 'a soul for chaos' and began to read. She was halfway through the 3rd chapter when someone closed her eyes _"so we meet again, little Miyu"._

She froze her heart stopped beating 'that voice, no way it can't be him. How is that possible?' she was too terrified to turn around but somehow gathering her courage from the fact that there were many students in the school premises by now she did only to find herself staring at thin air, there was no one around, no tell tale signs of any body's presence but she couldn't misjudge that voice. It had been haunting her since she was 10 ever since that incident. Fear griped her heart as she frantically looked around to search that horrendously familiar face but she find none.

'It can't be my imagination, it was so real'. She had practically felt those fingers closing her eyes, heard that fear inducing voice which had sent chills down her spine and she was still shivering.

Cold sweat appeared on her face as she let out a long breath realising she had been holding it all along. 'Seiya Yaboshi, why can't you leave me alone? Haven't you had enough haunting my dreams, now you want to terrify me in broad daylight?' She took deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

 _"Hey, what are you doing here? Ditching math class again are you?"_ a familiar voice jerked her from her reverie.

 _"_ _Kanata…"_ her voice shook as she looked over to him, his presence suddenly filling her with a sense of calm and security.

 _"_ _Miyu what's wrong? You look terrified"_ concern itched in his voice as he bent down to sit beside her.

She surprised him by suddenly launching herself at him before he could settle down and he had to struggle to keep his balance. His arms wrapped around her protectively as she snuggled closer to him burying her face in his chest while he consoled her _"hey its okay, you're okay. Baby don't be scared, I'm right here"_ he just wanted to take away the pained look in her misty eyes.

He was overwhelmed by his own emotions for her, sure he loved her but he had been denying his feelings since last year and he realised that they were far too stronger than he knew. He felt his own heart breaking at the sight of her breaking down in his arms like a fragile glass doll. He just wanted her to be happy again, sad & crying Miyu was definitely not his favourite and he didn't want to see her like this ever again. He gently rocked her back and forth like a child till she calmed down.

 _"_ _I'm so sorry about your shirt"_ she apologised sniffing through tear stained face. 'How could someone look so cute after such emotional outburst' he wanted to kiss her, to ease her pain with his kiss but restraining himself he wiped the remaining tears with his thumb _"do you want to talk about it?"_ he asked her so softly as if she was a small scared child.

Maybe he had glimpsed that 10 year old scared Miyu when she broke down. She couldn't blame him for talking to her like she was a scared little child, she felt like it but she couldn't bring herself to tell him about her past. Because maybe it wasn't a big deal, she was never raped after all just molested by a guy who was supposed to be family, a big brother and maybe she was over reacting. She just couldn't tell him though, she felt like another outburst was on its way and if she opened her mouth she wouldn't be able to control herself and she didn't want to lose her calm so she kept silent thinking how to tell him without breaking down again.

He made it easier for her. He kissed her lightly _"it's okay you don't have to"_ and wrapped his arms around her as if shielding her from the big bad world. She welcomed the warmth of his body resting her head on his chest.

'I'm so sorry but one day I'll tell you everything but not now, not on the second day of our relationship. No, this is not the right time' she thought. He held her for an eternity while slipped into the darkness right in his arms.

Assuming something really horrible must have happened to completely drain her energy he took her back to her house skipping school, she was more important. He laid her down on her bed and sat down next to her thinking what might have happened to shake her to the point of losing consciousness.

'I really hope she is just sleeping now' he grabbed her hand found it so cold that he began to rub it in between his palms.

Her eyes opened to the familiarity of her room _"what…but how did I get here?"_ she started to get up when she felt the presence of another body. For a moment she stiffened thinking of her encounter with Seiya, dream or not it was really frightening but then she saw a familiar handsome face poking out of the sheets and she studied his face while he slept peacefully next to her. So Kanata must have brought her here, now that she was completely rested she felt a lot better perhaps better than she deserved since she had lied to him when he had been so honest about his horrific past.

She felt guilty but still she couldn't tell him, she didn't know what to say 'hey Kanata I just wanted to tell you that I was molested when I was 10 by someone who was like an elder brother to me, that break down from earlier was because I thought I heard his voice and the thought that he was near terrified me to death because last time I might have escaped but what about now, so go ahead and laugh about it because who behaves like that just because they were groped when they were young'.

He'll think I'm crazy for behaving like that, he'll think I'm over reacting. She furrowed her forehead as if in pain.

 _"_ _Hey, you're up"_ he smiled at her, kissing her on the forehead " _how are you feeling?"_

 _"_ _Terrific"_ she joked smiling ruefully.

A serious look flickered on his face then he smiled in relief _"really, that's good because you scared me, don't you dare faint on me like that again ever"_ he scolded her.

 _"_ _What about school?"_

" _It's almost noon there's no point in going back and besides I think it can survive without the presidents for a day"._

 _"_ _Someone's too proud to be school president, almost arrogant"_ she commented. He shrugged at her _"who cares about school when I have my personal favourite president beside me"_ he pulled her towards himself and she fell on top of him giggling. His favourite sound in the world and he began to tickle her. She was laughing so hard that tears rolled down her cheeks but this time he was glad to see them while she begged him to stop.

 _"_ _Not a chance, you ruined my shirt this is my payback"._

 _"_ _Take off your shirt"_ and he stopped suddenly staring at her, eyebrows raised as she blushed at the way it had come out.

 _"_ _Someone's having perverted thoughts"_.

She blushed even more at his comment " _no! I didn't mean that, I'll wash it for you"_ she mumbled almost in a whisper, she couldn't even look at him while defending herself.

 _"_ _Miyu you don't need to be ashamed of anything. No actually go ahead and be like that, it makes you look so adorable that all I can think of is to kiss you breathless but on second thoughts don't act like that in front of other guys, I don't want them to get any ideas about kissing my girl"_

 _"_ _I wasn't your girl till 2 days before"_ she said gathering her ground.

 _"_ _you're wrong, you were mine ever since I saw you in that parking lot, hot like hell that I couldn't take my eyes off you, have you ever thought why I behaved like an idiot back then?"_

" _No, though I really did wanted to beat some etiquette into you"_

 _"_ _I reacted like that to hide my embarrassment for falling for you right there, I wanted to kiss you right there in the middle of the parking lot while I was staring into your deep brown eyes."_

 _"_ _Hmm…an embarrassed Kanata Saionji, now that's really difficult to imagine"._

 _"_ _What can I say you bring the extreme out of me"._

His confession softened her heart making her question herself how on earth she had ever hated this loving, caring person. She kissed him surprising him in the process as if to make up for every moment spent hating him _"will you help me shop for groceries? I know I don't cook but my maid does and I am running short on a lot of things so will you come with me?"_

 _"_ _Anything for my princess just let me go home and change first okay"_

 _"_ _Okay thank you"_

They went off to the supermarket. The evening was beautiful; no clouds with light breeze and gentle soothing warmth of sunlight and people were everywhere, out to enjoy the weather. After an hour of shuffling through groceries they decided to head for ice cream parlour. It was crowded and Miyu stayed back while Kanata went off to buy ice creams. She was looking around when she sensed someone come and stand beside her. Kanata is early she thought as she turned to face him and stopped breathing when she realised who it was.

 _"_ _I see you've grown into a very beautiful girl, little Miyu"._

Her heart was beating so fast she feared it will burst if it kept that pace while fear paralysed her.

 _"_ _You don't seem happy to see me"_ Seiya said in mock hurt " _don't worry little Miyu, I'm not here to torment you. As I always said, you are very special to me and I was devastated to find out that you had left but don't worry I'm here now and I plan to make up for all the time lost"_

 _"_ _Please, why are you here? Why can't you leave me alone?"_ she couldn't help noticing the desperation in her voice.

 _"_ _How can I leave you when I love you so much little Miyu"_ he grabbed her arms and she tried to shout but her voice abandoned her _"can't you see how much pain you caused me by leaving me all alone. I always thought you would come back but you didn't and when I realised you were never coming back well I just had to look for you then. Don't be scared little Miyu, I love you and I'll never harm you. I see you've a boyfriend. He's good looking I will give you that but his love can never measure up to mine"_

Where are you Kanata? She thought frantically, trying to release herself from his death grip. He sounded manic, he was acting like it.

" _What do you want?"_ she asked him.

He stared at her long and hard giving her creeps _"you, I want you, I've always wanted you but don't worry I'm not going to force you. I have plenty of time and I'm not going anywhere, you will come to me yourself"_ he told her.

 _"_ _I love my boyfriend. I'll never leave him"_ she said, finally succeeding in freeing herself from his grip.

 _"_ _Oh, we'll see that. Meanwhile enjoy your limited time with him because it is as I said limited. You'll have to come to me in the end"_ he gave her an evil smile.

His smile might have made girls swoon at him but she knew the devil residing within which only made him look like the king of evil himself, like a dark angel. No he was a demon not an angel.

 _"_ _Till we meet again little Miyu"_ he kissed her on her cheek as she cringed away from his touch his words swimming inside her head. A cold fear gripped her heart. What is his game now? What does he mean by I'll go to him in the end? Was it a warning? Sure he won't hurt Kanata he can't, but deep within she knew how much capable he was and she had once been at his receiving end. She couldn't bear the thought of Kanata getting hurt but who will listen to her. She didn't have any evidence against Seiya and he was very well connected and not to forget extremely rich and powerful.

She was lost in her thoughts when arms gripped her waist, she jumped and screamed in fear that Seiya had changed his mind about leaving her without assaulting her when she saw Kanata staring at her _"you're jumpy, you sure okay?"_ he handed her the ice cream. She didn't feel like eating, she couldn't as she realised that she hadn't imagined anything, that Seiya had been there at her school watching her while she had been reading all alone. Fear coursed through her as she thought of the possibilities of her being all alone and helpless in his presence. She staggered by the force of the realisation physical strength giving away and Kanata was the only reason she was up on her feet

 _"you told me you were fine, I think I should take you to hospital. You're scaring me Miyu"_

 _"_ _I just want to go home"_

 _"_ _No not before I let a doctor examine you, god knows what's wrong with you"_.

He had left a happy and smiling Miyu but when he returned she looked like she had just seen a ghost. It was like morning all over again and he couldn't bear to think that she might break down again. He was hurt by the fact that she wasn't telling him the reason for her strange behaviour. Something was definitely bothering her and something had happened while he had been busy buying ice creams. But what was it? Why couldn't she tell him?

He won't force her to tell but he was really hurt that she wouldn't confide in him. He forcefully took her to his family doctor and gave him the garbled version of the morning and now. After examining her the doctor had merely said that she was anxious and worried. Too much anxiety was draining her energy and that she should indulge in something fun to take her mind off from whatever that was bothering her.

He drove her home later and insisted on staying for the night. Surprisingly she agreed, he thought it as strange since Miyu liked her own space and under normal circumstances she would never have let him stay, she must need him near he thought. Finding that thought comforting he let the earlier hurt subside. She'll tell him eventually when she was ready, he knew she needed time and so he rather focused on taking care of her for now. He found out she hated being pampered it annoyed her so he tried more and more to pamper her. Finally she was almost back to normal by the time they turned in for the night, almost.

 **how was it?** terrible? okay? good? let me know!

 **sneek peek int next chapter**

 _"_ _I don't want to hurry but you know I was thinking that…"_ his phone rang and after ending the call he pulled her to him. _"I want you to meet someone, this guy is amazing. I'll be working with him in future. He's my father's- hence my future- legal adviser and he's here"_

As she walked with him to wherever this guy was, a feeling of dread came over her and she didn't want to meet this guy. Her instincts were screaming to run away.

 _"_ _Hi, Miyu I want you to meet Seiya Yaboshi"_

 _"_ _Seiya this is Miyu Kouzuki, my girlfriend"_ as Kanata introduced them she couldn't help but stare at the familiar face.

 _"_ _Oh it's a pleasure to meet you finally. He talks a lot about you and happy b'day"_ Seiya extended his arm at her while she kept staring at him.

No fucking way, this has to be a dream. Seiya in front of her acting all like a gentleman. She took a step back involuntarily and Kanata caught her before she trip over her own feet.


	15. Living with fear

**Chapter 15 Living with fear**

Next few weeks were like torture. Miyu kept waiting for Seiya to jump out of the crowd wherever she went, she was jumpy, scared, anxious and every other synonym you could think of along these words. The irony of the situation hadn't lost on her either as she remembered how Kanata had lost his first girlfriend and that made her shiver to the bone.

 _"_ _What if I end up like her"_ she asked herself as she sat in her room working on her assignment, she had even asked her maid to move in who, thank god had been more than happy to oblige. But what else could she do. Having no evidence was a big trouble, no one would believe her just because she said so, she could tell Kanata though but what would she say 'that her past is finally back in the race' this is what she had been dreading all along.

Besides Seiya isn't just anybody, he's the most influential person she knew. With just 5 years on her he's already well known among the elites of the world being the youngest and most influential lawyer who dealt with everything from government matters of veto nations to the mafias of underworld. It's going to be absolutely impossible for her to go up against him he's too smart to lose no matter what she does. Just her luck that she had to go against one of the most intelligent minds human race had ever produced.

He used to be her idol when she was young she was always trying her best to match up to him, oh if only she had known what was on the inside. The fact that Seiya was in the town somewhere is what scared her the most. He's here and only one person was in the town who could actually match up to his skills even if he was younger than him. Seiya knew about their relationship. Could it be possible that he was here because of her? Maybe she's really unlucky and he stumbled on her while he was here for whatever reason. Could it be that he was here because of Kanata? She was losing her mind and she was not even legally an adult yet.

 _"_ _God what should I do?"_ she pulled at her hairs in frustration. Unable to concentrate on her assignment she went off to bed thinking it better to catch some sleep instead.

Next day in the class she was awfully quiet though that was not unlike her- she was actually more of a listener and less of a talker. But this was too much even by her standard. She looked around they had math and for a change she was in the class not playing hooky but no one has arrived yet and the class was about to start. Kanata wasn't there, neither was Aya or Nanami not even others...where are they she thought. Here she was waiting for her friends who didn't show up. When only 3 minutes were left for the class to start she started to panic. No one had called her back not even Kanata who always returned her calls. Fear gripped her as she watched the door to the classroom slide open while she stood to greet her teacher but who strode in wasn't her math teacher but Nouzumo followed by Santa, Chris, Mizuki and then finally Kanata.

As she saw him all fit and fine standing in the front looking at her relief overcame her anxiety and she sagged with relief catching the edge of her chair for some support. She was glad to find that her friends were all unharmed and they were all watching her intently and then she frowned thinking what's going on and wait Nanami and Aya were still missing.

She was about to ask when she saw her best friends walk in pushing a food cart carrying a huge b'day cake. It took her 30 long seconds to register the situation and then she was stunned.

'This is so not possible, how can I forget my own b'day. They must have got it wrong' and her eyes darted to the date on the blackboard and yup it was her b'day today. She couldn't believe she had forgotten her own b'day. Just then her friends started singing the trademark b'day song for her and rest of the class joined in while she stood there watching them dumbstruck. Kanata walked over to her held out his hand. As she took his hand in her he pulled her closer to himself.

 _"_ _Happy b'day my princess, sorry about not returning your calls that was Nanami's idea"_ hearing his beautiful voice realising he was unharmed and standing in front of her drained her completely and she hugged him tight bursting into tears.

 _"_ _Hey"_ Kanata stroked her back gently as she calmed down. When she was calm enough to talk she looked at him beaming happily.

 _"_ _I've never…I mean no one has ever done anything like this for me. I never expected anything…I never…I just…thank you…thank you so much"_ she was really overwhelmed by the fact that her friends had actually cared to surprise her because this was clearly a first for her. She had had b'days before but they were just like any other day with usually her parents wishing and her celebrating with an enthusiasm of a non athlete for a sports activity.

He led her to where the cake was and she was wished one by one by all of her friends' then rest of the class. After all the cake cutting and smudging each other faces with it which was a ritual she really had the time of her life. The best part was that Seiya didn't even cross her mind not even once during that whole day. This was clearly her best b'day in years and she was enjoying each and every moment of it.

'She looks happy for the first time in weeks' Kanata thought as he looked over to his girlfriend laughing out loud at Nanami's joke. Watching her laugh like that, carefree and no pretence made his heart beat faster. He really loved her and he had missed that laugh. She had been acting weird and he was still waiting for her tell him whatever it was that was making her anxious like that but for now he decided to concentrate on her, trying to memorise her as she was now, beautiful and happy.

He felt a strange ache in his chest and for no apparent reason he had an unpleasant thought that he didn't have much time with her. Bullshitting that thought he walked over to where she was and pulled her closer to him. He just wanted to touch her, make sure she was there as she eased into his arms still talking with her friends.

 _"_ _So what about tonight…we should have a b'day party"_ Nanami asked.

 _"_ _Actually I've already arranged for that"_ Miyu looked to Kanata in surprise.

 _"_ _You didn't have to..."_ _"I want to"_ he cut her in mid _"besides you've never been to my house…in fact apart from Santa no one's ever been there and you are not going to say no. I'll pick you up at 6"_

 _"_ _Are you telling me you actually want everyone to come to your house?"_ Nanami asked shocked. Kanata shrugged whatever in response.

Miyu smiled at him and after thanking him once again cleaned up the mess with the help of her friends.

Watching her reflection in the mirror for nth time she couldn't decide what to wear. She really didn't want another party, she had had a great time at school and she really didn't want to jinx the day with another party. That would be wishing for too much and she really wasn't the luckiest girl on the planet. Besides for some reason her instincts were on fire telling her something was off or maybe that was paranoia talking. As she contemplated to change into that skirt again she heard a car stopping in front of the house. She walked over to the window to see Kanata stepping out from the driver's seat and as always he was simply gorgeous. She checked her in the mirror again that she looked smart enough in her jeans and top casual but smart and then she was wearing boots that meant she wouldn't be dwarfed by his height. Picking up her purse she ran to the front door just as Kanata was lifting his hand for the doorbell.

 _"_ _Hey"_

 _"_ _Hi"_

 _"_ _Ready for the evening"_ he asked. She nodded and turned to lock the door, her maid had spare keys. She walked to the car with him and he held the door open for her.

 _"_ _You know I really do know how to open that door"_ she told him as she got into the car.

 _"_ _And I never doubted that for a second"_ he flashed his beautiful smile at her as he settled into the driver's seat next to her.

 _"_ _Everyone's already there"_ he informed her as he started the engine.

 _"_ _Okay"_

 _"_ _You okay"_

 _"_ _Yes"_

They drove in silence and 20 minutes later he was pulling into the garage of a mansion which was huge like white house kind of huge. Okay maybe not that huge but you get the picture right.

 _"_ _You live here with whole town"_ she asked him as she got out of the car.

He chuckled at her reaction and walked over to her heading to the front door _"nope just me and Wanya my caretaker. And servants lots of servants"_

She was expecting to walk into an 18th century decor but everything was modern on the insides. A huge foyer like you find in the 7 star hotels. There was a grand piano perched on her left and Jada's American cowboy was blaring through the speakers and she frowned, there was an open bar on her right.

 _"_ _My father's I don't drink"_ Kanata told her. She nodded at him and looked across searching for her friends.

 _"_ _How many people did you invite and be honest Kanata"_

 _"_ _Not many, I just sent a mail to everyone in our school and I'm not sure everyone came or not but who cares. With just the 8 of us it would be boring so I called as many people as I could"_

 _"_ _Really you didn't have to"_

He shrugged and they walked over to her friends.

 _"_ _Hey Miyu, you came. I was starting to wonder if you would ever show up"_

 _"_ _He would have thrown a fit like 4 years old if I hadn't so there was no choice"_

Kanata rolled his eyes at her but smiled anyway and walked over to the middle of the room _"Guys thank you all for coming here tonight. Please enjoy the evening"._

He didn't look anything like an 18 year old. Handsome as he was but life had thrown some serious rocks at him that made him look older than he really was as he walked over to where she was.

 _"_ _Care for a dance"_

 _"_ _I suck at it"_ she smiled at him as they walked over to the middle and he took her in his arms.

 _"_ _Somebody once called me an alien so I can pretty much do anything"_

 _"_ _That's true"_

They whirled around the floor in silence with the rhythm of the music and it felt like they were all alone.

 _"_ _Miyu when we graduate this year, have you thought about it"_

 _"_ _No not much, what about you"_ she asked him hoping he wouldn't catch her lie. She had already decided to intern at his company but he didn't have to know about that. She wanted that internship based on her talents and not because she was dating CEO's son.

 _"_ _Actually my father has asked me to join the company soon after I graduate. He says I don't need any degree and that I'm skilled enough to succeed him. I'll have to move back to Tokyo"_

 _"_ _Okay but what about you, do you want to study further? Maybe opt for higher studies"_

 _"_ _Honestly I have no idea because I really don't know. I've always known that one day I'll have to succeed my father and I don't really have any problem with that but what about us. Where does it take us have you thought about that?"_

She went silent for the moment. She had never thought about that and now it became apparent. They'll have to part ways or not assuming she get that internship. She wanted to say that they'll be together but to be honest even she didn't know if they'll be or not. There is a huge gap between their lives; he is like an ocean where she is merely a drop in it. She had never been intimidated by the social status before but what about the future. He'll be one of Japan's or probably world's most eligible bachelor once he takes after his father but what about her she was practically a nobody.

 _"_ _I don't want to hurry but you know I was thinking that…"_ his phone rang and after ending the call he pulled her with him eagerly walking away from the swaying bodies of others. _"I want you to meet someone, this guy is amazing. I'll be working with him in future. He's my father's- hence my future- legal adviser and he just got here"_

As she walked with him to wherever this guy was a feeling of dread came over her and she didn't want to meet this guy whoever he was. Her instincts were screaming run away.

 _"_ _Hi, Miyu I want you to meet Seiya Yaboshi"_

 _"_ _Seiya this is Miyu Kouzuki, my girlfriend"_ as Kanata introduced them she couldn't help but stare at the familiar revolting face.

 _"_ _Oh it's a pleasure to meet you finally. He talks a lot about you and a very happy b'day"_ Seiya extended his arm at her but she kept staring at him.

No fucking way, this has to be a dream. Seiya in front of her acting all like a gentleman. She took a step back involuntarily and Kanata caught her before she could trip over her own feet and fall down.

 _"_ _You okay"_

 _"_ _Yes…I mean no, I feel like I'm going to be sick"_

 _"_ _Let me take you home I'm sorry Seiya but I have to go"_

 _"_ _Oh please don't mind me and Miss Kouzuki please do take care of yourself and my best wishes for the day"_

As Kanata took her to the door she shook her head _"I want to stay here, can I stay here"_. Looking confused he guided her to his room and settled her in his bed. As he turned to walk away she grabbed his hand _"please stay"_ and he did.

 **how was it?** terrible?okay?good? let me know!

 **sneek peek into next chapter**

 _"where's Kanata?"_

 _"_ _Good question, I was wondering the same and he's never late"_

 _"_ _Yeah, do you have Wanya's number? Kanata is not picking his phone"_

 _"_ _Hey let me call him don't worry I'm sure he's just late"_

Santa pulled his phone out of his pocket and fired a number. He frowned and dialled again _"pick up the damn phone Wanya"_ he muttered under his breath while Miyu watched him in anticipation as he gave her a don't-worry smile again.

 _"_ _Hey Wanya hi…"_ his face turned grave and Miyu felt her heart sinking, she had that feeling of dread again. 'Oh god please let him be okay, please let Kanata be okay'

 _"_ _What happened?"_

 _"_ _He had an accident, he's in hospital. Wanya says he's okay but he won't be coming to school for few days. Lucky for him its winter holidays, hey Miyu are you okay?"_


	16. What do you want?

**Chapter 16 What do you want?**

She woke up in an unfamiliar room which had her heart racing in fear but just then she saw Kanata sprawled all over the couch sleeping soundly. 'Why is he sleeping on the couch? Oh wait I don't own a couch. Oh this is Kanata's room'. He had stayed back for her humming a lullaby till she fell asleep like always. His face looked so peaceful and he did look like his age, young and innocent. It was 5:30, too early for anyone to wake up. She walked around the house and saw that there were people walking around cleaning and stuff. She asked for the kitchen and walked in. Since it was too early for breakfast kitchen was thankfully deserted for the time being. She looked into the fridge and to her delight spotted eggs. As she began whipping the eggs she thought about last night about how Seiya had acted so normally pretending he didn't know her. Anger writhed within her. If he lays so much as a finger on Kanata or her friends she is going to kill that bastard, whatever it takes she will kill him she resolved and felt slightly better.

She took out the frying pan and spread the eggs. After a while she poured coffee into the mugs and walked back to Kanata's room.

 _"_ _Morning"_ he sounded cute, groggy.

 _"_ _Good morning, here's your coffee"_ she handed him the coffee and a batch of omelette.

 _"_ _Thanks, please don't tell me you made this breakfast"_

 _"_ _What if I say yes?"_ she said indignantly.

 _"_ _This omelette is awesome, YOU made it?"_

 _"Jeez_ _thanks for the vote of confidence"_ she glared at him and turning around sat on his bed sipping on her coffee. They were silent for a while as they ate their breakfast and Miyu stared at Kanata while he silently chewed on, no snide remarks just comfortable silence.

 _"_ _Hey, about yesterday, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have behaved like that. You threw that party for me and I made you stay with me instead."_

 _"_ _It's okay, besides you were asleep in minutes. I stayed for an hour then went back to wrap up. But I had dinner with everyone before coming back here and oh that reminds me you ought to call Aya, Nanami, Chris and Mizuki. They were all worried and everyone came here to check on you before leaving"_

 _"_ _By everyone you don't mean our whole school right, it's really embarrassing to call sick in your own b'day party"_ she joked trying to press him for the names of those who had visited her before leaving.

 _"_ _No, just our group"_ he said and sipped his coffee. She sighed in relief.

 _"_ _You know everybody liked Seiya, he was surprisingly friendly with everyone and was flirting with Chris and Nanami as usual annoyed the hell out of that guy"_

Miyu stiffened on hearing his name and vaguely feeling proud of her best friend asked _"about Seiya, how long has he been working with your father"_

 _"_ _It's only been a year but he's very good. Dad loves him, he says he's really reliable and a born genius. I don't know about being reliable but he's a genius for sure"_

Miyu did the math, a year since she was here and a year since Seiya had been working for Kanata's father. Has to look like a coincidence, there is no way he would have predicted about her and Kanata. But on the other hand even if she hated to admit it Seiya knew her inside out so it was possible….no there's no way he would have predicted anything but he did know that they were in same school and were probably rival/friend that meant he must have acted on a whim. God, that devil didnn't just think about everything but he had luck on his side as well.

 _"_ _Miyu…hey come back to earth will you, what's wrong"_

 _"_ _Oh just thinking... I have to go back home to get ready for school"_

 _"_ _Give me some time I'll drive you home then we can go to school together okay"_

At school she was greeted by anxious friends but one look at her and they knew she was fine, at least on the outside.

A few weeks passed by and she started to think maybe Seiya will give up on her. God knows there are women who would kill to be with him and not just because he is damn good looking. He can be a charmer if he wants.

 _"_ _Hey morning Miyu"_

 _"_ _Nanami what happened to your hand?"_

 _"_ _It's nothing, yesterday I was heading back to home and I was waiting to cross the road but I tripped suddenly landing right in the middle of the road. Luckily the traffic was very light and I got away with just a hairline fracture, it'll heal soon so don't worry"_

 _"_ _How can you trip over your own feet standing just like that?"_

 _"_ _Hey I was really tired and I just tripped, okay I don't know, for a second I thought somebody pushed me but then that's ridiculous. I just tripped and I'll be fine"_

Somehow that didn't convince Miyu at all and then next week during a free class, Aya's date with Santa.

 _"_ _Yesterday we went to a restaurant for a coffee. We were leaving when fire alarms started blaring there was some explosion in the kitchen but thankfully everyone was evacuated safely. It was strange you know being in a place filled with strangers and just one incident and everyone was helping others to see that they were safe. It really made me think about how much we care even for strangers"_

 _"_ _Miyu what's wrong? You look troubled"_

 _"_ _That explosion, was it huge I mean I don't know but was it like fatal…I'm not making sense"_

 _"_ _No it wasn't that big, in fact we didn't even know till someone announced to evacuate right before the fire alarms came on, no one was hurt"_

Three of her friends and two incidences completely normal, could have happened anywhere to anyone but still she was restless she felt like something wasn't right.

 _"_ _Hi, how are you?"_ Santa asked Miyu as he walked over to Aya.

 _"_ _Good, where's Kanata?"_

 _"_ _Good question, I was wondering the same and he's never late"_

 _"_ _Yeah, do you have Wanya's number? Kanata is not picking his phone"_

 _"_ _Hey let me call him don't worry I'm sure he's just late"_

Santa pulled his phone out of his pocket and fired a number. He frowned and dialled again _"pick up the damn phone Wanya"_ he muttered under his breath while Miyu watched him in anticipation as he gave her a don't-worry smile.

 _"_ _Hey Wanya hi…"_ his face turned grave and Miyu felt her heart sinking, she had that feeling of dread again. 'Oh god please let him be okay, please let Kanata be okay'

 _"_ _What happened?"_

 _"_ _He had an accident, he's in hospital. Wanya says he's okay but he won't be coming to school for few days. Lucky for him its winter holidays, hey Miyu are you okay?"_

She felt like she couldn't breathe as she struggled to keep her balance, taking deep breaths to force some air into her lungs.

 _"_ _Where's the hospital? I have to go see him now"_

 _"_ _Miyu don't worry he's fine besides he always drives like a maniac. I have always told him not to drive that fast but who are we kidding? That's Kanata he doesn't listen to anyone and we'll all go after school okay, don't worry"_

 _"_ _No I am leaving now, just give me that damn hospital's name okay"_

Santa's face turned hard and his voice was stone cold as he said _"he's not here Miyu, he was air lifted to Tokyo"_ she couldn't bear to hear that news as she fell on her seat, her world crashing around her. She was numb and her was mind blank.

 _"_ _You lied you said he was fine"_ her voice was a mere whisper.

 _"_ _I didn't want you to worry and besides Wanya is…let's just say that he's too protective about Kanata. If he says Kanata's fine then trust me he's fine"_

 _"_ _You're his best friend, are you telling me you're not worried about him. He's in damn Tokyo for god sake, why was he air lifted if he was fine"_ she shouted at Santa.

 _"_ _Listen I know you are worried for him but don't you ever question my friendship. Besides that's heir of Saionji's group you're talking about, nothing but the best is provided for him"_ he was equally pissed at her.

 _"_ _Okay guys calm down this is not going to help anyone. Miyu I know you're scared but he's in good hands, you've to believe he's safe okay"_ Aya's gentle voice was soothing and Miyu tried desperately not to cry when she felt a gentle hand on her head. Turning around she saw Santa patting her head " _I know how you feel, I understand I really do but he's safe, he has to be. Besides he's too damn stubborn to be anything else right?"_ he smiled at her and she lost it as she cried like a child while he calmed her down.

 _"_ _I am so sorry I was so horrible to you"_

 _"_ _We're friends, we have a right to be pissed off at each other and I totally get how you are feeling. We'll leave after school okay"_ he said politely.

She wished she could say the same to him he must be worried for his best friend. The day was the longest of her life as she waited for an eternity for it to end but eventually it did and all of them boarded a train to Tokyo later in the evening. 2 hours later they were walking through the marble floors of Tokyo medical centre towards private wards. The hurried feet tapping onto the floor reciprocated from the walls and echoed into the hallway. The door to Kanata's room flew open and there he was lying on the bed leg in the plaster slightly bruised all over but otherwise okay

 _"_ _You…you moron what the hell were you thinking?"_ Santa lunged to throttle his best friend but Nouzumo caught him before he could kill Kanata.

 _"_ _Hey chill…I'm fine. I was getting late I just wanted to be on time"_

 _"_ _Haven't you learnt anything from her, it's okay to be late you know"_ Nanami said pointing towards Miyu.

 _"_ _Better late than never you jerk"_ Nouzumo said.

 _"_ _Did you guys come here to finish off what that accident couldn't? Don't give me a concussion"_

Everybody turned around to look at Miyu who just stood there staring at Kanata she was so still that it made them wonder if she was even breathing. All of a sudden she rushed to him crushing him into a hug.

 _"_ _Oww….oww Miyu you trying to kill me"_ she started crying so badly that he had to apologise _"I'm so sorry…geez I didn't know all it would take for you to crack was just one pathetic attempt at humour"_

 _"_ _You…I...you don't know how I…god don't you..."_ she couldn't even utter a sentence properly.

 _"_ _Hey it's alright I'm fine I'm good. Don't cry, it was my fault okay, I was driving too fast and I didn't see that truck and before I knew I crashed. I know it sounds awful but I'm fine really. Shush don't cry, I really….god I missed you"_ he hugged her tight, now he was the one crushing her but she didn't mind at all.

A nurse came in to take his vitals, gave him some meds and told them that the visiting hours were up so only one person could stay. Miyu pleaded to Wanya to let her stay and the poor old caretaker had to leave with the others for the visitors' quarters to spend the night. She was still hysterical when Kanata shifted towards the edge of his bed, making some room for her and she willingly went to him craving to be as near to him as she could his right hand working as her pillow while he played with her hairs. She sighed in relief for the first time since morning.

 _"_ _You know what, when I crashed I saw you…I mean before I passed out my last thought was of you, I saw your face"_

 _"_ _It could've been worse"_

 _"_ _Yeah like seeing Mizuki's face-oww sorry"_

 _"_ _I mean the accident it could've been worse"_

 _"_ _Yeah I might've died"_

 _S_ he swallowed a lump back, tears springing to her eyes again. _"Hey but I'm not dead okay so don't go there, besides I didn't bring this up so you would start crying again. What I am trying to say is we don't know when we might die, nobody knows that …let's get married Miyu"_

 _"_ _What…we're not even 18 yet"_

 _"_ _It doesn't matter, I don't care what people think and let's get married as soon as we turn 18"_

 _"_ _You're being irrational"_

 _"_ _No I'm not…I know I want to spend my life with you so how about you will you marry me?"_

 _"_ _We're too young for this Kanata"_

 _"_ _Is that a no?"_

 _"_ _No but"_

 _"Is that a yes then?"_

 _"Yes I mean no…let's just talk about it later okay, for now go to sleep, you need to rest to heal properly"_

 _"_ _I love you"_

 _"I love you too, go to sleep"_

He fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes, side effects of heavy medications but Miyu kept wondering what to do. She never wanted to feel the way she had felt today, it was like life was being sucked out of her but marriage is a huge step and still she…her phone vibrated. She slowly stood up from the bed and walked over to the bathroom so that she could talk without disturbing him though he was out cold but she didn't want to take any chances.

 _"_ _Hello"_

 _"_ _You know I'm a little disappointed that you didn't call despite of what happened"_

 _"_ _Why should I call you, you know exactly what's going on and don't call…"_

 _"_ _Before you hang up, have you thought about these incidents revolving around your friends, don't you think it is one hell of a coincidence that 4 of your friends were involved in some kind of accidents"_

She froze, could it be possible _…"how? How do you know?"_

 _"_ _Now don't try to act innocent, you know me better than that"_

 _"_ _You…you bastard"_

 _"_ _Wait you still have 3 more friends and I know exactly where they are. Then there's your family, especially your sweet little baby brother. I can't tell you how adorable he is"_

 _"_ _Don't you dare Seiya"_

 _"_ _Now if I was in your place I would watch my mouth. Let's meet up Miyu, this Sunday my office. Since you're in Tokyo, I don't think you'll have any problem with finding my address. I am looking forward to meet you, good night"_

He hung up and she sank down to the floor, she was right. All these accidents were deliberate. She couldn't endanger her friends any more than she already had she had no other choice but to go. It was time to face her demons or the devil maybe.

 **how was it?** terrible? okay? good?

 **sneek peek into next chapter**

 _"_ _You screwed me up, you destroyed me and now I am having doubts about myself, I don't think I am capable to love anyone enough to spend rest of my life with them. I am having doubts about my own life and that's all because of you"_

 _"_ _What do you mean spend your life with anyone"_ he asked. She went quiet, damn her mouth.

 _"_ _You're not marrying him if you marry that guy I'll destroy him and I'll destroy you" she was convinced now that_ he was maniac. Miyu took a step back trying to keep as much distance as possible.

 _"_ _You can't force me Seiya I would rather die than be with you"_

 _"_ _Why, why do you say such things Miyu? How many times should I say I love you, I can't live without you"_

 _"_ _And I can't live with you if it comes to that I'll kill myself and this is the proof that I can"_ she was so fast with the knife that it was all a blur. Before Seiya or Mikan could stop her, she sliced her left wrist and the thick red blood started to flow down all through her palm from the middle of her fingers staining the immaculate floor of his office.


	17. Life or a horror show

**chapter 18 Life or a horror show**

Next day when everyone came to check up on Kanata the doctor told them that he was healing well and would be discharged within a week which meant on coming Monday.

 _"_ _Where's your father?"_

 _"_ _He's in New York, some business trip"_

 _"_ _Does he know about your accident?"_

 _"_ _No…I don't know he didn't call so I'm guessing he doesn't care"_

 _"_ _I'm sure he's just busy"_

 _"_ _Oh I know he is, he is always busy"_ he sounded bitter.

 _"_ _Kanata"_

 _"_ _Let's just not talk about that okay"_

 _"_ _Okay"_

 _"_ _So... did you think about my proposal?"_

 _"_ _No"_

 _"_ _You don't want to marry me?"_

 _"_ _It's not that, tell me who on earth proposes to their girlfriend in a hospital lying on a hospital bed wearing a stupid hospital gown, you can do better than that"_

 _"_ _You in love with the word hospital?"_

 _"Ha very funny"_ she said with a straight face.

He smiled but then got serious and she flinched on the inside, she couldn't avoid the topic any more.

 _"_ _Tell me Miyu, what's wrong"_

 _"_ _Nothing it's nothing"_

 _"_ _Then why don't you want to marry me"_

 _"_ _Let's just focus on you getting out of this hospital first okay we'll have plenty of time to plan our wedding later"_

He nodded at her his face showing no emotions and she hated herself at the moment because she knew she was hurting him but she had no choice. He was here because of her and there was no way she was going to endanger him or any of her friends any more than they already were. She was already occupied by that late night call she didn't want to take things any further if his life was at stake & she knew it was and she would only bring him sorrow nothing else.

He was recovering fast thankfully and by Sunday all he had to worry about was the plaster in his leg that would need another fortnight to cut it off.

 _"_ _So it's Sunday are you going somewhere you know sight seeing?"_

 _"_ _Actually yes I told you about the internship, I am just going to drop my CV"_

 _"_ _Hey tell me the name of the firm I can…"_

 _"_ _No I appreciate your help but I don't need your influence or your recommendation, I want to do this on my own okay"_

He looked so sad that she almost told him where she was heading to. Walking over to his bed she kissed him first on his lips then on his forehead _"I love you, I'll be back soon Kay, take care. I'll call you"_

 _"_ _If I ask you stay will you?"_ he asked her.

 _"_ _Sorry but it's kind of important"_

 _"_ _Not even if I sing you Jesse McCartney's Beautiful soul"_

 _"_ _As much as I love that song I really have to go"_ she kissed him again.

 _"_ _Bye"_ he waved his hand like a 3 year old looking so adorably sullen and sad that she had to literally drag herself out of his room. As she walked out of the lobby of the hospital she looked around, flagged a cab and gave him the address.

It was easy to search that address since the landmark was the famous Tokyo tower, she got off the cab and after paying the fare looked around for the building. It was so tall that she had to crane her neck all the way back to her shoulder blade. As expected from Seiya, his office being at the top most floor. Seriously the guy couldn't be more obvious, typical flashy sleazeball. It would take forever to reach there she thought as she entered the building, flashed her ID, received a 'visitor's' card from the reception and walked all the way to the elevators. The ping of the elevator indicated she had reached her destination.

She felt like she had stepped into some Hollywood setup, the floor so immaculately clean that made her scrub her palms on her jeans, feeling stupid and stunned she walked over to the wait there was no reception area as she looked around but on her left was a huge cabin with Seiya Yaboshi Attorney general written on the door she knocked and then walked in without waiting for any response. She was blackmailed into coming here so she could excuse her manners.

 _"_ _Oh my sweet little Miyu, how are you today?"_ that saccharin dripping fake voice made her gag and she opened her mouth so she could breath properly.

 _"_ _I'm not little anymore Seiya neither sweet and I'm definitely not yours"_

He wasn't even fazed as he looked at her as if he had expected exactly that response from her, she hated the fact that he could read her so well. It made her feel like throwing up precisely on him if she could.

There was a woman with them though, tall and beautiful and her intelligent eyes were all over Miyu as if she was scanning her for any hidden weapons. Feeling slightly exposed under her gaze Miyu walked over to sit, she was here to talk so better make herself comfortable. Zayn Malik's Back to sleep was playing in the background.

 _"_ _You couldn't play a dirtier song"_ said Miyu as she settled down.

 _"_ _Forgive me"_ he stopped the song and flicked a finger toward the woman _"Mikan here is a huge Zayn malik fan"_

 _"_ _Actually one direction fan"_ the woman said.

 _"_ _Tell me, were you responsible for Kanata's accident?"_

 _"_ _Always in a hurry Miyu, it's been years. Let's catch up first"_

 _"_ _I didn't come here for chit chat"_

 _"_ _Fine then yes I did that"_

 _"_ _And you're accepting it knowing very well that I can use this as evidence"_

 _"_ _As much as I love your wits Miyu, you're still a child though. You can't bug me here with all the wireless tech being used you will not catch anything, the channel's distorted"_ his smile was so evil that she had to look away just so she wouldn't jump and start throttling him. She grabbed the edge of the table to restrain herself.

 _"_ _You son of a bitch I'll kill you I swear…"_

 _"_ _Careful sweetheart, you're in my territory now and Mikan here is a trained assassin, trust me you don't want her to be anywhere near you or your friends"_

She clenched her teeth and looked over to the woman; she was not just beautiful but also built strong, her face impassive giving nothing away.

 _"_ _How pathetic that you need a woman to drag another to your bed, talk about masculinity_ " she mocked. Seiya clenched his fingers into a fist and Miyu felt a rush of excitement because this was good he hardly ever showed any emotions he was always under so much control. At least she could bother him in some manner.

 _"_ _Don't test my patience"_

 _"_ _Why not?"_

 _"_ _You don't want to see my evil side"_

 _"_ _Huh, I've already been through your evil side remember what else there is to see"_

 _"_ _Look I didn't mean to do what I did okay? All those years were so difficult to think that I drove you away from me, I never had a girlfriend because I just couldn't stop thinking about you"_

 _"_ _I never had a boyfriend either, how ironic that you were the reason"_

 _"_ _Miyu I'm serious"_

 _"_ _Do I look like I'm having the time of my life?"_

He stood up abruptly knocking his chair all the way back to the wall where it slammed and kicked off in Mikan's direction as she put a hand to steady the damn thing.

 _"_ _You screwed me up, you destroyed me and now I am having doubts about myself, I don't think I am capable to love anyone enough to spend rest of my life with them. I am having doubts about my own life and that's all because of you"_

 _"_ _What do you mean spend your life with anyone"_ he asked.

She went quiet, damn her mouth.

 _"_ _You're not marrying him Miyu if you marry that guy I'll destroy him and I'll destroy you"_ he was a maniac she was sure of it now. Miyu took a step back trying to keep as much distance between them as possible.

 _"_ _You can't force me Seiya I would rather die than be with you"_

 _"_ _Why, why do you say such things Miyu? How many times should I say I love you, I can't live without you?"_

 _"_ _And I can't live with you if it comes to that I'll kill myself and this is the proof that I can"_ she was so fast with the knife that it was a blur. Before Seiya or Mikan could stop her, she sliced her left wrist and the thick red blood started to flow down all through her palm from the middle of her fingers, staining the immaculate white marble floor of his office.

 _"_ _Miyu, what the hell. What are you doing are you mad? God Miyu!"_ he ran to her as Mikan rushed to the bathroom and emerged with a first aid kit. _"Give me your hand now"_ she commanded and surprisingly Miyu relented. She bandaged her wrist with such perfection that Miyu had to wonder if she was a trained medic as well _"here take this, it'll ease off the pain"_

If earlier Seiya looked like a maniac then now he was looking like devil express delivered straight from hell.

 _"_ _What the hell you were thinking, do you think if you threaten me like that then I'll listen to you, damn you girl, I'll force you into my bed and then I'll force you to marry me. I have been in love with oyu for my entire life and I am not letting go. Nothing can stop me not you not anyone. I am invincible"_ he straightened himself and grabbed her by her arms, his fingers clutching so hard that they would definitely leave bruises later, assuming she had any later. She screamed at the top of her lungs as he forcefully dragged her to his attached bedroom.

 _"_ _Sorry to interrupt but you have a board meeting in 10 minutes"_ Mikan said.

 _"_ _Cancel it"_ he barked.

 _"_ _I can't, this is the 3_ _rd_ _time you're asking me to cancel it"_

 _"_ _Then tell them I am dead"_

 _"_ _Now that's illogical"_

 _"_ _What meeting?"_

 _"_ _Saionji's group, Housho Saionji will be there"_

 _"_ _Damn it, lock her in"_

 _"_ _You can't, I timed an email to the commissioner saying if I go missing then you're the reason and he'll be on your doorstep in no time and you know that guy is really honest, you can't buy him"_ Miyu said.

Seiya cursed his frustration as he stomped his way to the bathroom she looked over to Mikan who just stood there giving away nothing. As he emerged 5 minutes later he was calm like the calm before the storm.

 _"_ _you don't think you won, I might let you go this time but then there are other ways to drag you back and you'll come back. Don't forget your precious boyfriend's life is at stake here, you try to be smart next time and you'll regret it for the rest of your life"_

Miyu took a deep breath to calm her racing nerves as she walked over to the door and turned around _"thanks for the bandage. A word of advice, if I were you I would walk away before things get dirty"_

 _"_ _And I would say the same to you"_

She gave her a hard look and walked to the elevators. Rushing past the reception she flagged a cab and didn't breathe again till she was in Kanata's ward. He was sleeping peacefully as she walked over to him it occurred to her how lucky she had been. God that email thing had been a lie she had not anticipated that things would go so wrong. Thank god, for the first time she was happy that she had lied. God only know what might have happened if she hadn't said that. She shuddered at the thought and went over to sit on the couch in the corner. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

As her eyes flew open she rubbed them more out of habit than necessity. She looked around and her eyes locked on to the familiar pair of browns.

 _"_ _Hey"_

 _"_ _Hi, when did you wake up?"_

 _"_ _I don't know been couple of hours"_

 _"_ _What time is it?"_ she looked around for a clock _._

 _"_ _Its 7 pm"_

 _"_ _What? Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"_

 _"_ _You were sleeping so peacefully I didn't have the heart to wake you up, you didn't sleep last night?"_

True enough she had been too tensed to sleep last night. She walked over to him.

 _"_ _How are you feeling?"_

 _"_ _Fantastic"_ he said smiling at her _"what happened to your hand?"_

 _"_ _I cut it accidentally on glass"_ god what a pathetic lie. If that was the case the cuts would have been all over her palm and not her wrist. Kanata was thinking the same as he gave her a sceptical look.

 _"_ _So all set to get discharged tomorrow?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, just can't wait to get rid of this plaster"_

 _"_ _Will your father be here when you get discharged"_

Oh shit, why did I say that she stiffened as she looked at his surprised face.

 _"_ _How did you know he's here?"_

 _"_ _Oh I heard Wanya talking to him when I came in"_

 _"_ _Hmmm…"_ now what was that supposed to mean. God kill me now better die than lie to him.

Kanata looked at Miyu as she busied herself with trivial things like picking up a magazine from the floor, straightening his already straight pillow; clearly she was trying to avoid any conversation or any eye contact. And god knows why had she lied to him, Wanya had been called by his father and the guy had left early in the morning, he wouldn't be back before tomorrow. She had lied about her hand too but why would she do that? What is she hiding?

That made him doubt if she was as much into their relationship as he was or is she even into it at all? Does she even care about him? She had very politely refused his proposal. All this and her acting strange ever since they started dating made him wonder if she was even involved in their relationship or was he the soul member in it. Is it possible, could she be such a good actress? All he could do was wonder.

 **how was it?** terrible? okay? good? let me know!

 **sneek peek into next chapter**

 _"_ _What do you want Seiya? I am doing exactly as you said, I'm leaving tomorrow and you don't have any business here anymore"_

 _"_ _Not really, you rebuffed my proposal"_

 _"_ _I will never marry you as long as I'm alive"_

Now it was his turn to glare at her _"Are you planning to marry him in secret because know this Miyu that I'll find it out and then…"_

 _"_ _Shut it right there, you say you love me and yet you don't really know what love is. Sometimes you have to let go of people you love the most, it's not always a happily ever after"_

 _"_ _You don't really love him Miyu do you? If you did you would never walk away"_

 _"_ _My love for him is not something you will ever understand Seiya, no matter what you do you are never going to understand this. Your love is just like you, shallow"_

 _"_ _You really hurt me sometimes, you really do"_

 _"_ _Glad to know that you get to know a bit of what I'm going through"_

 _"_ _But we'll be together, you'll eventually marry me"_


	18. Broken hearts

**Chapter 18 Broken hearts**

As the winter break passed by everybody got busy with their upcoming final exams and farewell ceremony for their graduation. Students were all busy applying for jobs or preparing for entrance exams. Miyu didn't apply anywhere, she knew where she was headed and she didn't have to worry about it. She couldn't wait to get started. The only roadblock though was Seiya but assuming if everything went as planned then maybe she might have a good shot at getting rid of that guy for good. But you should never underestimate your enemy, especially an enemy like him.

She had already started acting as per planned. She had deliberately made Kanata rethink about his proposal, as much as she was yearning to spend the rest of her life with him but the stakes were too high, they were better off apart but alive.

The moment when she actually drops the breakup bomb is going to be really painful for both of them. She don't think she will ever fall in love again, he's her heart, her soul and for that she has to keep him safe. It's better if he's alive and suffering than happy but dead. To keep the inevitable misery in check she drowned herself into her studies. As the rest of the months passed by they were all busy giving their exams now.

 _"_ _I can't believe we have graduated high school"_ Christine said. They were all sitting in their characteristic table in the cafeteria.

 _"_ _I feel so old, mature"_ complained Nanami.

 _"_ _Graduating can do that to you"_ Nouzumo said smiling at his girl friend.

Miyu was silent and so were the others.

 _"_ _Let's have a farewell party after the ceremony. I mean who knows when we will sit like this again together"_

 _"_ _I can arrange for it"_ Kanata offered.

 _"_ _Okay I'll help"_ Santa said.

 _"_ _I don't think I'll be able to attend, I have to pack. I'm leaving next day in the morning"_ Miyu said. She had told them that she was moving to Tokyo but nobody knew that she was leaving for New York instead. This is another reason she'll hate herself for the rest of her life. She was lying to her friends in the last moments she had with them.

 _"_ _I'll help you pack"_ Kanata said. The way he looked at her she couldn't refuse.

She had to agree to attend the party in the end.

The day of the ceremony was trailing between bitter-sweet moments as everyone moved around trying to spend as much time with friends as possible, giving away mementos. When it was time to head for Kanata's for graduation party whole school was brimming with excitement, he had overdid again. Seriously that guy and his luxurious habits, he had invited students from all across the town. Going over the top would be the understatement of the year and just like its host, the party was perfect in every sense. Decorations were beyond beautiful and music was awesome, Pitbull's Give me everything was rocking the dance floor right now as Miyu walked over to her friends.

It was really strange she was all alone despite of being surrounded by hoards of people. Kanata wasn't with her and she had point blank refused his offer to pick her up.

 _"_ _Hey Miyu, where's Kanata?"_

 _"_ _I don't know"_

They all gave her a look saying and-you're-fine-with-that, they had sensed the distance between her and him and before any of them could ask anything she said she'll go search for him. She walked over to a corner and called him, it went straight to voice mail. Her eyes swept across the room to search for Kanata.

 _"_ _Good evening Miyu"_

 _"_ _Wish you hell Seiya"_

 _"_ _Aww you say the sweetest things"_ he said leaning towards her.

She smiled up at him and said _"indeed when it comes to you"_

 _"_ _You're turning me on you know, maybe we could ditch this party"_

He leaned closer to her his hands resting on her waist as he pulled her closer. Her hands went up to his chest as she pushed herself away from him, he didn't even budge. God he was strong. She glared at him and he released her but only after kissing her on the cheeks.

 _"_ _What do you want Seiya? I am doing exactly as you said, I'm leaving tomorrow and you don't have any business here anymore"_

 _"_ _Not really, you rebuffed my proposal"_

 _"_ _I will never marry you as long as I'm alive"_

Now it was his turn to glare at her _"Are you planning to marry him in secret because know this Miyu that I'll find it out and then…"_

 _"_ _Shut it right there, you say you love me and yet you don't really know what love is. Sometimes you have to let go of people you love the most, it's not always a happily ever after"_

 _"_ _You don't really love him Miyu do you? If you did you would never walk away"_

 _"_ _My love for him is not something you will ever understand Seiya, no matter what you do you are never going to understand this. Your love is just like you, shallow"_

 _"_ _You really hurt me sometimes, you really do"_

 _"_ _Glad to know that you get to know a bit of what I'm going through"_

 _"_ _But we'll be together, you'll eventually marry me"_

She stared at him long and hard as he took her right hand and kissed it, then he left Mikan following him as they disappeared in the crowd. Miyu took a deep breath to calm her nerves and checked her phone. No calls. She took a few steps forward and turned to her left when her eyes locked on to the familiar pair of brown. They both just stared at each other. Hedley's Perfect was playing in the background while their eyes did the talking.

'This is our last night together. One last time I want to hold you closer, one last time I want to be in your arms. One last time I want to kiss you so that I'll remember you like this'

As if on cue they both walked toward each other at the same time. He had a feeling that this was the last time he's going to watch her beautiful face. He could see it, the goodbye in her eyes as she walked to him. They both crashed into each other's arms. They didn't care that they were not alone. Right now in this moment the world didn't matter nothing mattered as he kissed her hard begging her to stay. Ed Sheeran's Photograph was playing in the background as they just stood there wrapped in each other's arms, neither wanting to let go.

 _"_ _Please"_ his voice shook and it killed her to look into his eyes.

 _"_ _I'm sorry"_ she choked on her words.

 _"_ _Why?"_

 _"_ _It's for the best"_

She kissed him again and it took her everything not to break down right there as she turned around and walked straight out of the mansion out in the road. She doesn't really remember how she got home after that. It was all a blur walking through the doors turning into her room, going down as she cried herself to sleep ages later.

She woke up abruptly sitting up on her bed. She had a strange feeling that she wasn't alone. She looked over to the clock neon hands shining in the dark showed her that it was 3 in the morning as she bent over to switch on the lights. She almost screamed then clamped her mouth shut.

 _"_ _Kanata what are you doing here?"_

 _"_ _You forgot to lock your room"_ his voice slurring the words strangely.

 _"_ _Are you drunk?"_

 _"_ _You never told me why?"_

 _"_ _I'm calling Santa he'll take you home"_

 _"_ _Was it a lie right from the beginning? All that taking care of me, all those moments…were they all nothing but a lie"_ his voice broke as he asked her and not because he was wasted to the core. She swallowed back the lump in her throat.

 _"_ _You don't know what you're talking about. We'll talk in the morning"_

 _"_ _When after you board the flight for New York"_ he asked her and almost looked sober. She stared at him shocked, he wasn't supposed to know.

 _"_ _Don't look at me like that, did you really think I wouldn't check after all those lies and I even traced your number. Guess what I found, you know Seiya don't you? No wonder you reacted the way you did at your b'day party and today the way you two were standing…"_ he couldn't continue.

 _"_ _It's not what you think it is"_

 _"_ _It was him… you went to see him the day before I was discharged, he told you about my father didn't he? He is the reason you're leaving"_

 _"_ _It's not him, it's you"_

 _"_ _Why?"_ his voice was so quiet that she had strain her ears to hear him.

This was her chance, break his heart, let him go and drive him away as far as possible. She fisted her hands, her fingernails biting the heels of her palms.

 _"_ _It was all a lie. I told you in the beginning…I was clear right from the start and I"_ she willed her lungs to work as she continued _"I feel suffocated around you I can't be with you because I feel like I'm tied down, like I'm being imprisoned. I feel like I am nothing more than a shadow your shadow. You're a…a burden to carry around"_

He stared at her and the look in his eyes broke her already broken heart into more pieces god this is so not how she had wanted to remember him. She knew his eyes would haunt her forever. She watched him shattering to pieces right in front of her eyes and every cell in her body was screaming for her to hold him, beg him stay as he walked out of her room and out of her house into the dark.

She picked her phone and called Santa not caring that it was barely 4 in the morning. She couldn't sleep after that, every time she closed her eyes she saw Kanata's eyes and the haunted look in them. It was worse than leaving him she had ruined him completely. Question was would she even live long enough after what happened the way her heart was aching she doubted if she would even live long enough to watch the sun rise.

She did survive though she was no more alive than a zombie as she moved around her house, the movers will take care of her things as if she cared anymore. She walked out of the house she had spent 2 years in and felt like she was leaving behind a piece of her heart as she walked over to the cab that was waiting for her. 3 hours later she was at the Tokyo's international airport in the waiting lounge.

 _"_ _Miyu"_

 _"_ _Mizuki, what are you doing here?"_

 _"_ _Look I don't know what happened between you and Kanata but why are you leaving? I thought you loved him"_

 _"_ _It's complicated, you won't understand. I can't be with him"_

 _"_ _He's not okay Miyu and the way you look, you're not either"._

 _"_ _I am sorry Mizuki, I know how you feel not just about Kanata, I know how you feel for me too but I can't stay I have to leave. Can I ask you for a favour?"_

He nodded at her as tears sprang to his eyes.

 _"_ _Please try not to hate me will you and let others also not…god this is wistful thinking isn't it, hoping that no one hates me after what I've done after what I am going to do"_ her voice was hoarse as she blinked her eyes several times to clear away the tears.

 _"_ _Why are you doing this Miyu?"_

 _"_ _As I told him, it's for the best. Take care Mizuki"_

 _"_ _What about you Miyu? We are all together in this together to care for each other but you, you'll be all alone. Will you be okay?"_

 _"_ _It's my doing I'll have to face it. Goodbye Mizuki"_

As she turned around and headed for the terminal 3 to board her plane she passed by a funny guy as he stood there wearing black shades and covered in raincoat from head to toe. On any normal day she would have stopped and stared but today wasn't normal as she walked past him. She was strangely aware of being watched but then she will always have this feeling because with every step she took she was taking her body with her leaving back her heart right here. As the plane took off her final word were goodbyes to her friends _"sayonara Kanata, I'll always love you no matter what"_ she whispered.

Kanata saw her walk by him she didn't even stop to look at him despite of his obvious-to-eye attire. He wanted to stop her, grab her hand and beg her to stay but she had made it clear that he meant nothing to her that he was nothing for her but a burden to carry around. As she walked away from him she walked away with his heart because he knew he will never be the same again ever.

Destiny has its own ways to throw people together, to bring those people together who are meant to be. 5 years later a blond in sky high boots sporting dark sunglasses walked out of Tokyo international airport. She was all Hollywood model of corporate world in her black blazer, white button down shirt and blue Levis. She lifted her hand to flag down a cab and she was sporting a shining black Rolex on her right hand.

 **how was it?** terrible?okay?good? let me know!

 **sneek peek into next chapter**

 _"_ _So it is true, you're back"_ Miyu turned around to find Santa saunter into Kanata's cabin. At least someone was happy to see her and it was a big deal for her given the way she had treated everyone going AWOL on everyone 5 years ago. She rushed to him as he came forward to give her a bear hug.

 _"_ _I missed you so much, how have you been?"_ he asked her.

 _"_ _I'm good, how are you?"_

 _"_ _Good, Aya's going to be thrilled to see you and what timing Miyu we're getting married"_

 _"_ _Really, congratulations. I am so happy for you guys"_ she grinned at him, the guy was like her big brother no wonder he made Kanata somewhat sociable. He has an aura like that makes you feel cared.

Suddenly she heard Eminem's Stronger than I was roaring through the speakers as she turned around to see Kanata sitting in his chair, the song was clearly a dismissal for both of them.

 _"_ _Uh I'll see you later okay, say hi to Aya for me"_ she looked at Kanata for one last time. He was intently staring down at his laptop as she turned and headed to her cabin.


	19. Loving him, hating her

**Chapter 19 Loving him hating her**

 _"_ _Congratulations on your promotion, you are now the chief editor of aside from being vice president of Saionji's travellers and the most important job for you is to make sure that the reviews are not only 100% true but also the best because we only serve the best to our customers. There's a reason why we're the best in the industry and I intend to keep it like that"_

 _"_ _I'm up for the challenge Mr. Saionji. I know it is going to be great working here"_

 _"_ _Welcome to the Saionji's group Miss. Kouzuki"_

 _"_ _Thank you Mr. Saionji"_

So professional, no reaction not even a flinch or hatred just cold nothing but then she was the one who had walked away without explaining anything so is it really a surprise that Kanata was treating her just like an employee should be treated. She shouldn't have expected anything else as she stared at the familiar face of her ex. Man he hadn't changed at all, his handsome face is exactly as it was and his eyes, those beautiful eyes are exactly the way she remembers. With nothing else to say or do they let silence do the talking while they stared at each other.

 _"_ _So it is true, you're back"_ Miyu turned around to find Santa saunter into Kanata's cabin. At least someone was happy to see her and it really was a big deal for her given the way she had treated everyone going AWOL on everyone 5 years ago. She rushed to him as he came forward to give her a bear hug.

 _"_ _I missed you so much, how have you been?"_ he asked her.

 _"_ _I'm good, how are you?"_

 _"_ _Good, Aya's going to be thrilled to see you and what timing Miyu we're getting married"_

 _"Oh god r_ _eally, congratulations. I am so happy for you guys"_ she grinned at him, he was like her big brother no wonder he made Kanata somewhat sociable. He has an aura like that it makes you feel cared.

Suddenly she heard Eminem's Stronger than I was roaring through the speakers and she turned around to see Kanata sitting in his chair, the song was clearly a dismissal for both of them.

 _"_ _Uh I'll see you later okay, say hi to Aya for me"_ she glanced at Kanata once more. He was staring down at his laptop as she turned around and headed to her cabin.

 _"_ _What was that?"_

In response to the annoying question Kanata cranked the volume higher drowning his best friend's annoying voice. Santa walked over to the woofers and unplugged the chord and Kanata glared up at him.

 _"_ _Aren't you happy?"_

 _"_ _Yeah right, the girl who told me that I am nothing but a burden for her to carry around is back, yes I'm so thrilled"_

Santa's face grew serious he knew exactly how much Kanata had suffered but he also knew that the guy still loves her.

 _"_ _Still aren't you teeny tiny bit happy?"_

The glare Kanata gave him was enough to make even the great Mt. Fuji cower but his best friend held his ground all these years of practice had made him somewhat resistant.

 _"_ _What I'm trying to say is that no matter what you tell me or yourself, you're still not over her. I'm not forcing you Kanata but you can't run from your own feelings, they have a way of coming back"_

 _"_ _For god's sake she was the one who left, it wasn't me Santa and I'm so not going to beg her to come back. I would rather stay celibate for the rest of my life than…I can't stand to be turned down again, I can't go through that again"_

Santa walked out of his cabin without a backward glance and why would he? Kanata was right, nobody knew why Miyu had left 5 years ago and why is she back now but one thing was certain there has to be a reason because nothing happens without a reason.

As Miyu dropped on her chair all she could think of was the song Kanata had purposefully chosen to throw her out. He's telling you to fuck off her sub conscience provided. And he's not wrong, after all she was the bitch who had endangered his life and then left him to suffer and as if it wasn't enough now she's back. The song in the background was so in sync with her - Save yourself from My darkest days, only requirement being swap he and she because she is the perfect villain in Kanata's life.

 _"_ _I hate myself"_ she yelled at the walls around her, it was a good thing that the cabin was soundproof or people would think she's crazy.

Sitting there she made it clear to herself that no matter what she'll avenge the loss she had to endure. Seiya will have to pay for everything he had done, she was here on a mission to destroy him and she will make sure that the evil bastard pays for driving her away from her loved ones. She had waited for years for this and she is not going to throw it away just because she was feeling guilty about her behaviour towards the guy next door.

As she came back from the shower after her evening exercise she shuffled around her living room settling on the couch with her coffee mug in one hand and her phone in the other. As she waited for the call to be picked she felt really guilty for leaving the kid all alone

 _"_ _Hey sis"_

 _"_ _Hey Ruu how are you?"_

 _"_ _I'm good I was studying you know computers are so awesome they can do anything"_ he was smart for his age. He was obsessed with the machines always finding ways to tinker just for fun. God she missed her baby brother.

 _"_ _Miyu are you there"_

 _"_ _Ya I'm right here sweetie"_

 _"_ _You okay"_ she was thinking about the role reversal, since when did her 10 year old baby brother started to sound like an adult.

 _"_ _I'm fine, so are you having fun, did you make friends at school"_

 _"_ _I'm trying to make friends and school is really fun. But I don't like that they wake us at 5:30 AM even on Sundays"_ like sister like brother, neither of them were an early bird.

 _"_ _It's good for your health you know and you'll find it easier once you settle down after all its only been a week. It'll take time but you'll find your way around don't you worry sweetheart"_

 _"_ _I miss you"_ now he really did sound like a 10 year old little child.

 _"_ _I miss you too baby and I promise I'll be back soon. Take care okay, bye"_

 _"_ _Bye"_

Forget about other things she will kill Seiya just for making her stay away from her brother. She hung up and sipped her coffee it was cold and tasted awful she went to the sink and threw it away and started the machine for a fresh cup when the doorbell rang.

Frowning she went to the door and peeked through the keyhole, yeah she could be that stupid sometimes. Hesitating for a second she opened the door and there they were all her friends back from high school. She was speechless while they stared at her in surprise all three of them Chris, Aya and Nanami. As they hugged her she couldn't utter a word she had no words for their affection she knew she didn't deserve this treatment.

 _"_ _How did you..."_

 _"_ _Santa told me and did you really think we wouldn't come to see you Miyu?"_

 _"_ _It's been so long, I have to kill you for leaving first and then resurrect you and tie you down so that you don't pull that stunt again"_ Nanami grinned at her throwing a punch which she gladly accepted. She would have accepted anything just to have her friends back.

 _"_ _You disappeared as if you were dead it was really difficult to watch….anyways I'm really happy that you're back"_ Chris said. But everyone heard the unspoken, difficult to watch Kanata and Miyu swallowed the lump back while she eyed her best friend. Chris had been in love with him too she must have hated me for hurting him but still she's here thought Miyu.

'I don't deserve such friends, I really don't deserve them'

 _"_ _I'm so sorry guys, really I..."_

 _"_ _It's okay Miyu, I won't say that I understand but I know you, there must be some good reason why you did that even if the why is impossible to understand"_ Aya squeezed her hand.

 _"_ _Well Santa, Nouzumo and Mizuki will be here in a few minutes, I thought it would be fun to have a small welcome back party"_ as if on cue the doorbell rang.

 _"_ _That must be them you want to change into something else, we might go out later"_ Chris suggested. Miyu went to her room and changed into something black her go to colour whenever she needed to get ready in no time as she walked back to her living room she saw her friends setting up the table. There were obviously pizzas and coke and beer, although she didn't drink but apparently they did. She looked around at the familiar faces and was happy till she saw Kanata, what was he doing here? He didn't look like he had consented to come over as he kept glaring at his best friend. She walked over to him and handing him a coke, she knew he didn't drink or knew that he didn't used to drink but then a lot can change in 5 years.

 _"_ _You didn't have to come"_

 _"_ _If I had a choice I wouldn't have, his car very conveniently broke down in the middle of the road and I don't drink coke"_ he walked over to the crate of beer and took out a bottle. It hurt it really did to watch him behave so bitterly but then she deserved it didn't she. Trying to feel happy that at least rest of her friends were here and happy to see her she walked over to them and got into some serious 5 years of catching up business.

Turned out Aya was an English teacher at a high school and Nouzumo and Christene were working together as interior designers and owned chains of boutiques across the capital. Mizuki and Nanami had an online dance portal as well as an extremely well established dance academy. To her surprise Mizuki and Chris were dating and she was glad. Nanami was still as annoying as ever but at least she was now Nouzumo's headache to take care of. So all her friends were successful and happy. Santa turned out to be Kanata's right hand like Kanata would have preferred anyone else. He trusted him more than himself and who are we kidding they are childhood friends after all.

 _"_ _I am so parched I need some water"_ Nanami complained. _"All that talking and I still am surprised that your voice box is still functioning"_ Aya said. _"It's worse at night"_ Nouzumo commented looking every bit proud of his girl friend's unique ability. Nanami stuck out her tongue at the pair looking every bit of child that she was. They haven't changed, not even a bit thought Miyu and suddenly she was having problem swallowing.

 _"_ _I'll grab some water"_ she croaked and went off to her kitchen. And she entered the kitchen she was rooted to her spot by the sight of Kanata fixing sandwiches for himself. He looked up to her and looking a bit flustered said _"I hate pizza and I don't eat out and I was hungry"_

If she was having trouble swallowing earlier then now she was having trouble breathing maybe she should schedule a medical examination. Some 6 years ago they had been in the same position, he in her kitchen fixing snacks for their friends. Nothing has changed at least not on her part, she's still madly in love with him but Kanata, he totally hates her now. It was too much too damn much for her to take in and she opened her mouth to force some air into her lungs and will them into performing the function they were supposed to.

 _"_ _You should have told me I would've done something"_ he corked an eyebrow in question.

 _"_ _I can cook now I mean I can manage"_

 _"_ _Yeah a lot can change in 5 years"_ with that he was back to the way he had been any rekindled emotions buried deep beneath his cold, bitter stare

 _"Oh I received a call from your fiancé. Guess you didn't tell him about your little rendezvous with your friends. Congratulations on your engagement though"_

 _'J_ ust gives me yet another reason to hate you' he thought.

Somehow she had an urge to apologise _"I am sorry"_

 _"_ _Don't be, it's your life you can be with whoever you want. Bet they don't know about this though"_ he said jerking his head towards the living room where all their friends were not a care in the world.

He walked out of her kitchen, he had no business staying but Seiya had said he needed to hand him some papers that he had to review tonight and was bringing them here. Miyu just stood frozen in her kitchen she hadn't expected him to find it out at least not so soon. She felt like all the air had been sucked right out of her lungs she forgot why she was here. Something…water…yeah someone needed water. She grabbed a water bottle and walked back into her living room looking like a character right out of some zombie apocalypse movie minus the gory makeup. She handed Nanami that bottle and went to sit at a chair in the corner trying to stay away from everyone.

Joel Adam's Please don't go was playing in the background as she sat there and stared at an infinitesimal point on the floor. Then the song changed to One direction's 18 after some more mindless staring she heard Trading yesterday's shattered, Ed Sheeran's give me love, Daniel Craig's Insomnia, vertical horizon's He's everything and when the next song came up she totally lost it. It was beautiful soul by Jesse McCartney her absolute favourite it was the one song that Kanata used to sing to her all the time. Her eyes followed their own accord landing on his face as the song came up and she found him staring back at her.

He stood up & walked towards her. She prayed he would say something anything at least that way she would know that she wasn't the only one going insane here. He kept walking towards her and then more walking and he walked right past her and she turned around to find the last person she had expected to be here, Seiya was standing right next to Kanata holding up a file and saying something she couldn't hear over the music. Kanata took that file nodded at him and walked straight out of the door without so much as a backward glance to spare and she knew it then that she had lost him and this time it was once and for all. It hurt it really did hurt a lot. Then a lot more later on.

 **how was it?** terrible?okay?good? let me know!

 **sneek peek into next chapter**

'Why? Why do you care? You show up after 5 years, engaged and looking like a Hollywood model and act all vulnerable and…why you pull me back exactly when I am about to let go' Nothing much has changed, when they were in school they both hated each other but still somehow cared for each other in their own ways and now even when she's engaged she's here sleeping on his couch.

'You still confuse me Miyu' he just stared at her and then walked to the bathroom. Half an hour later when he was all dressed and ready for the day he walked over to her, lifted her in his arms and settled her on the bed instead. Going by the clock she'll be sleeping for an hour or two, not an early bird he reminded himself and walked out to resume his work.


	20. Parallel worlds

**Chapter 20 Parallel worlds**

Her welcome party had ended with her introducing her 'fiance' to her friends who had looked momentarily surprised but thank god they had recovered by the end and she had kicked Seiya out of her apartment the moment they were all alone which he obviously had found to be sexy but she was having an urge to kill someone and figured that if he stayed she would definitely kill him. She really didn't want to kill that guy it would've been quick and easy not what she had in her mind for him. She wanted it to be slow and painful sounds sadistic but that's how she wants him to pay.

 _"_ _Hey boss, Mr. Johnson called he says he didn't get those files"_

 _"_ _I mailed him an hour ago, did you tell him to check his mail"_

 _"_ _Yup"_ Miyu frowned in response.

 _"_ _Did you ask him for an alternative id?"_

 _"_ _Yup"_

 _"_ _I'm mailing the files to you, forward it to him"_

She wrote ass-hole in the subject and mailed the files and when her secretary conformed that she had forwarded the mail 10 minutes later Miyu him to apologise for her rudeness blaming the crappy day she was having at work. The guy was a major sucker for honesty and he brushed it off saying he understood the sentiment quite fairly. She thanked him, apologised twice more and then hung up. She really was having a bad day. All thanks to Seiya and his unannounced appearance at her home. She's going to kill the guy for hurting Kanata. Yeah if this goes on she'll have to kill him infinite times and each time for a different reason.

Her head was killing her.

 _"_ _Boss"_

 _"_ _What?"_ she snapped.

 _"_ _Mr. Saionji needs you"_ Miyu snapped her head up staring at her secretary _"I mean for the meeting…umm with the president"_

Oh right, Kanata's father had called upon a meeting to see how things were going.

 _"_ _I'll be ready in 15"_ and she headed to her private bathroom, took a quick shower blow dried her hair and touched up her makeup. At least she looked and felt fresh.

As she headed for the conference room she had a premonition, her instincts told her something was off and how many times she has been right about that? Let's see about every time.

'God let everything be okay' she hated these premonitions they were always true and horrible. She bumped into Santa.

 _"_ _Oh hi"_

 _"_ _Hey"_

 _"_ _You look troubled, everything alright?"_

 _"_ _Yeah actually not really, I mean it's not really that bad but it's not good. No I mean it's not bad at all"_

 _"_ _You're freaking out and you are freaking me out, what's wrong Santa?"_

 _"Aya's pregnant"_

She sighed in relief _"So what's wrong with that, its double congrats I suppose isn't it?"_

 _"Yes but_ _we had scheduled the marriage at the end of the year but by that time she'll be in her third trimester"_

 _"_ _Move it up then, let us have your wedding at the end of this month. We'll all help with preparations"_

 _"_ _Really is that possible"_

 _"_ _Of course it is, we'll do it together. Don't worry"_

 _"_ _Thanks Miyu, I was so worried. You're a lifesaver"_ he hugged her tight and she returned the gesture equally. She smiled at him and turned around to see two people staring at them. Kanata and Seiya and both of them had same expression on their face which might have made her laugh under any ordinary circumstances. But right now all she felt was dread. Somehow she had a feeling this was all going south.

After 3 hours of drilling she dragged herself to her cabin and started her presentation. She had to finish it today at any cost. She had to submit it and then go home and prepare for the presentation for tomorrow.

 _"_ _And ENTER, there"_ as she sent the mail to her boss aka the guy next door aka Kanata she patted herself on the back for having finished her work on time and laid her head down on the desk just for a minute.

As Kanata turned off the lights of his office and walked out of his cabin he saw that the lights in Miyu's cabin were on. He checked his watch, it was almost 1AM no way she was still in her cabin she had mailed him that presentation almost 2 hours ago. Thinking how irresponsible she was to leave the lights on he walked over to her cabin and stopped at the entrance.

She was sleeping peacefully with her head on the desk, hairs scattered all around her face. This woman could really sleep anywhere under any circumstances and by far this was the most comfortable place he had caught her sleeping in till date. He had always loved watching her sleep it was his favourite past time hobby correction it used to be his favourite past time hobby. As he walked over to her sleeping form all their moments spent together ran a marathon through his mind.

God I miss her so much. All his anger and bitterness towards her was draining him of his energy. He swallowed his emotions back and stared at that familiar face a bit longer. She is still cute and still cutest when she's mad he smiled at that. He walked over to her his fingers aching to touch her to feel that feather smooth skin again. As he raised his arm she moved and he stilled, there's no way he wanted her to catch him in a moment like this. She snuggled closer to the cocoon of her arms cradling her head into it her hand resting beneath her head. He noticed something he should have noticed earlier her engagement ring catching the light and he backed away instantly. He walked out of her cabin and called Santa.

He might still want her but she wasn't available anymore and he was not making a fool of himself again. He waited till Santa arrived and then walked out of his office building without uttering another word.

 _"_ _I want you to sanction this fund"_ Miyu told Seiya.

 _"_ _I would do anything for you sweetheart but you need your bosses signature"_

 _"_ _But I need your approval first"_

 _"_ _And I did, you didn't receive that document?"_

 _"_ _No"_

 _"_ _Let me see…Ah stupid me I didn't send it. Forgive me for my carelessness"_

 _"_ _Stop playing games Seiya, I take my job very seriously"_

 _"_ _I know and this wasn't deliberate, I didn't do…"_

 _"_ _I don't care just don't make me walk all the way up here next time"_

 _"_ _There's nothing wrong in catching up with your fiancé at your workplace"_

 _"_ _That's right I'm your fiancée not a toy for you to order around and amuse yourself with"_

 _"_ _You don't let me touch you, you don't talk to me, and you're not staying with me even when we're living in the same area. Do you really think I should believe you, are you really fiancée?"_

No I'm not, I'm the peril your life is awaiting. She took a deep breath, when pissed off doesn't work then try being sweet and he melts like butter. With as much sweetness she could muster she spoke slowly, carefully _"look no matter what you think I am giving us a shot right and then I love my own space, you know that. And I have a lot to do, if you keep dragging me to your cabin for little things like these obviously I'm going to lag behind and snap. I hate that and you should know that, you know me better than anyone else"_

At least the last part was true even if the rest was all rubbish. Seiya looked momentarily stunned. Okay maybe it was too sweet for his taste.

 _"_ _you should have said so earlier, I'm sorry I bothered you"_ he smiled at her and she thought 'what a waste, he could have been a nice guy if he wasn't all malevolence and evil and criminal mind and…no he can never be a nice guy'.

She walked back to her cabin and began her work, thanks to Seiya she was more than an hour behind her schedule.

When she finally shut down her laptop and glanced at the clock…good god it was half past midnight. She should be comfy and cosy in her bed right now but she was here in her cabin all alone and well just alone. Sighing deeply she stood up and turning the lights off she walked out and saw light filing out of Kanata's cabin. She frowned, he shouldn't be here but the guy was an insomniac so…

I'm not going in, no I'm not. Last thing I need is him catching me checking up on him. But her legs had their own mind and before she knew it she was standing in front of his cabin, her hand stretched to push the door open

She cracked open the door a little and then a little more, pushing it open she walked in. The place was a mess; papers scattered around, a guitar at the corner and large woofers on the other side. She looked at the sleeping mess and just stared at him for a little while. Turning around she picked her cell phone and was about to dial Santa. _"Miyu"_ she stiffened and turned around. He was still asleep but right….he sleep talks, how could she forget.

She walked to him and whispered _"Kanata, can you hear me?"_ feeling like an utter fool when he didn't reply she tugged an arm beneath his head and spoke again _"Come on Kanata, I want you to get up"_. Ditching the idea to call Santa, poor guy needed some break from taking care of Kanata 24/7 around the year, she spoke softly again. With any luck Kanata won't remember a thing he sleeps like a rock when he does sleep. With a little more manoeuvring she dragged him to the attached bedroom, perks of owning the company and being a CEO. Hours later she managed to somehow drag the sleeping beauty to his bed and settled him as comfortably as she could.

Taking a deep breath as she sat down on the couch she looked at her watch, 1:47 AM. She sighed deeply and then stretched her legs a bit and she laid down her head thinking to herself a minute, just a minute and then I'll drive home. A minute later she didn't have enough energy to move her fingers let alone drag her body all the way home. Before she fell asleep she had one last glimpse of Kanata snuggling the duvet closer to his body.

His eyes flew open and he blinked. Then he sat up on his bed followed by more blinking while he looked around. He was in his cabin, well in the bedroom attached to his cabin. He had a fleeting memory of someone asking him to get up and then being pushed around. He turned to his left and saw Miyu sleeping on his couch, so that someone had been her.

'Why? Why do you care? You show up after 5 years, engaged and looking like a Hollywood model and act all vulnerable and…why do you pull back me exactly when I am about to let go'

Nothing much had changed, when they were in school they both hated each other but still somehow cared for each other in their own ways and now even when she's engaged she's here sleeping on his couch.

'You still confuse me Miyu' he just stared at her and then walked to the bathroom. Half an hour later when he was all dressed and ready for the day he walked over to her, lifted her in his arms and settled her on the bed instead. Going by the clock she'll be sleeping for an hour or two, not an early bird he reminded himself and walked out to resume his work.

When Miyu woke up the first thought that came to her mind was 'where am I?'

When it dawned on her that she was in Kanata's bedroom sleeping in his bed _"what the hell"_ she got up shouting.

'Shit, shit and here I was hoping he won't find out. Damn' she tiptoed all the way to the door and peeked through it.

'Please don't be here, anywhere but here' only thing left for her to held her pride was to quickly get to her cabin. She had never been more grateful for her cabin to be next to his and thank god she always had a change of clothes there. When she rushed to her cabin she didn't stop to look around if anyone had caught her running out of her boss's cabin wearing the same clothes as yesterday. It was only after locking herself in the bathroom that she took a deep breath. When she came out and looked at the clock it was half past 7 that meant she was early by half an hour but who cared. This was good that meant not many people were in the office at this time which meant lesser chances that anyone had caught her running from Kanata's office like a criminal does from a crime scene.

 _"_ _Seiya I want you to mail me that document"_

 _"_ _Where were you last night?"_ her hand froze on her phone.

 _"_ _Where else, I was at home. Why are you asking?"_

 _"_ _I called, you didn't answer"_

 _"_ _I had a late night I was in the office way beyond midnight. You can understand if I didn't pick your call"_

 _"_ _Okay"_ was his only response but somehow she wasn't sure that he was convinced.

" _About that mail"_

 _"yeah wait a sec"_

2 minutes later she received the mail and printed the document attached to it and bracing herself walked over to her boss's cabin and knocked ever so lightly.

 _"_ _Come in"_

 _"_ _I need you to sign this"_ he took the papers without looking at her and she waited while he read them. 5 minutes later signing them he handed her the papers back.

 _"_ _About last night, umm…thanks"_

 _"_ _Yeah thanks"_ he looked at her and for the first time since she had been back his gaze wasn't full of hatred.

 _"_ _So are we cool?"_ she asked, wrong question he went from being all autumn to glacial in seconds. His response was the coldest she had ever felt in life.

 _"_ _No Miyu, we're too far from being cool"_

She nodded at him and walked back to her cabin. The only sound that distracted her was the ping for receiving another mail and this was her personal id. Just when she was about to open that mail her phone rang. The number was private, untraceable and there was only one person who could be calling her from that number.

 _"_ _Hello"_

 _"_ _I just sent you a mail, check it out"_

She hung up and clicked open that mail. Oh my god! This is it she smiled at herself. Finally she had what she wanted.

 **how was it?** terrible?okay?bad? let me know!

 **sneek peek into next chapter**

When Miyu found her voice back the first thing that her mind wanted to do was scream but she managed to quiet the urge.

 _"_ _Get out"_

 _"_ _Miyu, I…"_

 _"_ _Get the hell out of here Kanata"_

He looked at her but she didn't look back she was still rocking herself back and forth staring at the floor when he walked out that goddamn room.


	21. Aya

**Chapter 21 Aya**

 _"_ _So on whole week off but plenty to do"_

 _"_ _Yeah I can't believe it is actually happening"_ Aya chirped. She was practically glowing with happiness. And Taylor swift's This is really happening was the right song for the moment at least that's what Aya thought as she began to hum along the song.

 _"_ _And we're gonna make it the most memorable day of your life, don't you worry"_ Miyu said.

 _"_ _Okay these flowers go over there and those frills look like something out of 18_ _th_ _century remove them"_ Chris was shouting commands at the top of her voice and Nouzumo was forced to arrange the tables and chairs….poor guy.

 _"_ _Seiya, what are you doing here?"_

 _"_ _Thought you might need help and I had some work to discuss"_

 _"_ _Oh what is it?"_

 _"_ _Not with you with Kanata"_

 _"_ _He's not here"_

 _"_ _His best friend is getting married and he's not here are you kidding me"_

 _"_ _Not today, its tomorrow so there's no way he's here. He'll be at the hotel we're all staying in you can ask Santa for his room number"_

 _"_ _Thank you you're surprisingly helpful"_

 _"_ _Nah I'm just happy, Aya's getting married after all. About helping us, if you really meant it then can you please check out the wine list and see if anything else is needed as you're good with alcohol"_

The dress rehearsal went by smoothly.

 **Aya's big day**

 _"_ _Oh god I'm so nervous"_

 _"_ _Okay, calm down and take a deep breath. It's just wedding jitters pretty normal"_

 _"_ _Nanami"_

 _"_ _Yes Aya"_

 _"_ _Shut up"_

 _"_ _What the…"_

 _"_ _Okay you two cut the crap…you go get her under that gown fast and I need to shower. I'm sure neither of us want to be late especially the lovely bride to be"_

When Nanami disappeared with Aya and Miyu headed to the bathroom.

 _"_ _Hello, anyone here"_

 _"_ _Hey what are you doing here?"_

 _"_ _Santa's messenger, message for the bride here and you, Nouzumo is looking for you"_

 _"_ _What is it?"_

 _"_ _Personal stuff between the bride and the groom, he said he want it back now so hurry up and answer the damn thing fast so I can go back"_

 _"_ _I need some privacy, hope you don't mind"_ with that Aya disappeared into another room and with nothing to do Kanata sat on the bed and looked around. Well that's interesting he thought. There was a pair of lacy black lingerie on display on the edge of the bed and he shied away from it quickly looking in the opposite direction. 'Better wait outside' he thought and stood up.

As he started to move toward the door he heard a loud voice and turned around.

'What was that, a crash or something' he heard it again. Someone was cursing loudly.

 _"_ _What the hell, shit, damn, stupid, idiot. Aya! Can you please pass my lingerie"_ Miyu pleaded cracking the bathroom door enough to peer her hand out.

Kanata waited for some time when it was clear that Aya had not heard a single word he quietly picked them and shoved them into her demanding hand. He debated whether to wait outside the room or not and just when he was about to leave the door to the bathroom opened. Miyu walked into the room with hairs dripping and her towel wrapped around her waist in a triangular fashion giving her a look to die for. Kanata couldn't help but stare as she walked further into the room before registering his presence.

As Miyu walked into the room the last person she could ever expect was standing in front of her staring at her like…if she was edible he would have devoured her with pleasure. As their eyes met her breath hitched and her heart started racing. After quite a bit of staring at each other Kanata finally found his voice or rather sarcasm.

 _"_ _It's not like there's something I haven't seen before"_ Kanata said dryly. She flushed and got hot all over which was embarrassing and something she hadn't experienced since a very, very long time.

 _"_ _Shut up and why are you here?"_

 _"_ _Trust me I didn't volunteer for the job but as the best man I was forced to deliver a private message to bride from that fucking idiot groom and I have to carry her answer, whatever it is, back to that idiot"_

 _"_ _No matter how sweet that is on Santa's part you need to leave, I need to get dressed and I'll deliver that message to him myself, I assure you and I'll be discreet about it okay, so get the hell out of my room"_ she said, her voice every bit sweet as bitter nuts.

A sudden fury rocked him and before he knew he closed the distance between them in three long strides cornering Miyu.

 _"Nobody talks me like that Miyu, nobody not even you and better keep that in mind"_ he looked wild like an animal. His eyes were so cold that they terrified her to the point where her knees went all jelly. She was after all almost naked and he was so huge in front of her, shadowing her petty slender body. Her knees gave away and Kanata snapped out of his manic outburst going frightening mad to gentle in less than a second.

 _"_ _Shit Miyu, I am sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. I am so very sorry, shit, shit dammit, are you okay?"_ he bent down in front of her, his concern obvious in his previously cold eyes. She was sitting down the floor her legs drawn close to her body, chin resting on her knees as she started rocking her herself back and forth. The sight of her scared little body was more than enough for Kanata to curse his temperamental side while he stared at her. Looking at her fragile frame he suddenly felt a sharp pain right at the centre of his chest as he realised he was still in love with her. No matter how much he denied it he was still very much in love with her.

When Miyu found her voice back the first thing that her mind wanted to do was scream but she managed to quiet the urge.

 _"_ _Get out"_

 _"_ _Miyu, I…"_

 _"_ _Get the hell out of here Kanata"_

He looked at her but she didn't look back she was still rocking herself back and forth staring at the floor and he turned around and walked out that goddamn room.

'I was so stupid to think that he still loved me' she thought. 'I never knew he had moved on and here I was entertaining the fact that he still might be interested, I should have known better. He's after all exactly like Seiya's younger version'

As she tried to calm herself her mind went to how similar his cold stare was. Seiya looked like that all the time and at that moment she had realised that Kanata could do anything he wanted to her, he was big enough strong enough. She had a small frame and the only weapon was her mind but you can't help it if your mind is trying to signal you that you're weak. Somehow gathering her nerves back she tried to force her mind to act normal. No reason to spoil Aya's wedding. She stood up and went to get ready for the wedding.

The party was on full flare, drinks being downed, crazy dancing and the wedding had been perfect, piece of cake and now was the time for the after party. Despite of being a non drinker Miyu had downed a few glasses of champagne. Everybody was on the dance floor while she looked around scanning people. Nouzumo and Nanami were dirty dancing their way around, Aya and Santa lost in each other right in the centre and Mizuki with Chris somewhere lost in the sea of bodies. As she downed yet another glass of whatever it was she thought about how much she hated parties, too many people in too less space. She braced herself for another glass when she looked straight up and her eyes locked on to the person standing right in front of her. Kanata was staring at her.

Maybe it was the alcohol in her system or the anger of being completely helpless earlier that gave her the courage as she downed too more glasses and walked over to where he stood. He said nothing did nothing just took her hand and pulled her closer burying her deep among the crowd. And they began to dance, were they drunk? Probably yes because they were on fire as their bodies moved along the beats of Ryan star's start a fire. The song said more than what was on their minds. They could feel the heat as the anger, lust or love whatever it was took control of their minds and he kissed her hard not caring that she was engaged. She kissed him back so she didn't care either. It took all but 5 minutes for them to disappear from the floor and walk up to the elevator.

He couldn't keep his hands off her and neither could she as he kissed her again and again. When the elevator stopped at the floor where he was staying Kanata dragged her all the way to his room fumbling with his keys and locked them in. The physical attraction, the pull was strong enough to wipe away any rational thought from their minds as their bodies got busy.

Seiya was standing at a corner searching around for Miyu, when his eyes found her he was surprised to watch her downing vodka shots like water, she never drank. He was about to make his way to her when she stood abruptly and walked over to….Kanata. As he watched them disappear onto the floor he decided to follow. Keeping his distance he watched them dance or rather moulding into each other was more like it. The anger in him as so strong that he took a step to snatch his fiancée from those arms when he saw them kissing and lost it completely. He took off but they were faster. Pushing his way through the swarms of dancing bodies he tried to follow them to the elevators. When he caught them kissing just before the doors to elevators closed he knew it where they were heading to and knew what would be the next step as he turned around and walked back to where people were still dancing their night away. He walked over to the bar deciding to get wasted. He downed drink after drink while his mind threw pictures of his Miyu with Kanata and the urge to take revenge was so strong that he forcibly cracked the glass he was holding in his hand. He decided then and there what would be his next step to teach that little slut a lesson. She was going to pay, heavily for this as his eyes settled upon the married couple. He smiled thinking about his sweet revenge.

Loud pounding on the door woke them up.

 _"_ _Kanata open the door"_ Santa sounded frantic.

He hurriedly put on the pants and walked to the door and opened it and Santa came in he looked like hell.

 _"_ _What's wrong"_ Kanata asked as Miyu walked in at that moment fully clothed.

 _"_ _Aya's missing"_

 _"_ _What... but how?"_

 _"_ _I don't know she was there when I went to shower. When I came back there was this note saying she was off to meet her gynaecologist, that it was urgent and not to worry. Thinking that maybe something was wrong with the baby I panicked and called but her phone was switched off. I called her doctor but her phone was out of reach too. So I called the clinic and asked to talk to the doc. When I asked her if anything was wrong with the baby she said no and congratulated me and then when asked her if I could talk to Aya she said Aya wasn't there and when I asked if she was sure she said yes. And since then I've been calling her but her phone is still off and it's been 2 hours. I don't know what to do, I really don't…"_ he fell down and Kanata lunged to support his best friend.

Miyu went cold with fear for Aya and prayed for her safety. She was thinking what to do next when her phone bleeped, a new message from Seiya, an address? But why would he send her an address and that's when she realised with cold dread that Aya was with him. He must have caught her with Kanata last night, the possibilities of what he could do to Aya made her weak at the knees again and she began to lose her ground. She forced herself not to panic.

It was time to act anyway and it was no time to panic as she took deep breaths to calm her nerves.

 _"_ _Santa look at me, please."_ And when he looked at her she said _"Don't worry Aya will be fine. I promise you, I'll bring her home safe and sound okay. Trust me alright"_

 _"_ _What are saying, do you even know where she is?"_ Kanata asked her.

 _"_ _Listen right now you need to take care of him and no matter what don't contact police, it'll be life threatening for her"_ when he started to interrupt her she said _"I know what I'm doing and I want you to do exactly as I say. Do not contact any one from the police and trust me I'll bring her back. And leave, take others with you and don't tell anyone about your location. You cannot trust anyone right now and hurry up just leave this place"_

 _"_ _Miyu, where are you going? I can't let you go like that"_

 _"_ _Please Kanata I need you to do as I said, keep others safe for few hours okay, I know what I am doing and you have to keep them and yourself safe, please check out now"_

She wanted to tell him she loved him, chances were high that she might be seeing his beautiful face for the last time but instead she ran out of his room to hers and grabbing her handgun she raced out of the hotel and headed to where Seiya was waiting for her.

 **how was it?** terrible good? okay? let me know!

and guys thank you for reading or not reading and keeping up with my mistakes...i know i rushed this story and up next is the last chapter...here you go

 **Sneek peek to next chapter**

 _"_ _Not so soon sweetheart, I still have a lot on my mind, oh the things that I want to do to you but first I am going to kill your best friend in front of your eyes, can't wait to see your pain"_ and he waved his hand and a tall strong built guy dressed in The Matrix style dragged Aya into the basement. Hands flew in the air in split seconds as everyone drew out their weapons. Two guns trained at Miyu, Seiya's and Mikan's while her gun pointed at Seiya.

 _"_ _A scratch on my friend and I am going to shoot you"_

 _"_ _You might've grown up but you're too righteous to shoot anyone"_ Seiya said.

 _"_ _You'll be surprised by what I can do"_

 _"_ _No doubt so how about we cut a deal I'll let your friend go and you drop the gun"_

 _"_ _You think I'm gonna trust you"_

 _"_ _Sorry Miyu but you really are in no place to bargain so how about this, drop your gun or your friend goes down and so will you even if you shoot me"_

Trying to think a way out she kept her gun trained at Seiya. There was no way out and she thought at least others were safe as she prepared for the inevitable.


	22. The final showdown

**Chapter 22 the final showdown**

 _"Welcome my lovely fiancee how are you honey?"_ Seiya asked as Miyu walked into his peripheral vision. The place was moist and air was colder in this basement of a construction site which was completely obscured from the outside world, a perfect place to kill someone and leave their body to rot no one was likely to walk upon till the rotting smell will be carried outside.

 _"Nice place"_

 _"It'll look nicer when I'm done"_

 _"Where's Aya?"_

 _"Always in a hurry Miyu, don't worry she is alive, still breathing"_ he said clearly enjoying the fact how much she was hurting for her friend. She looked around and surprisingly there was no one apart from his assassin comrade that is Mikan who was standing still on his right her gaze scanning Miyu just like when they had first met. She momentarily wondered if this time she'll have enough time to bandage her, no not likely. This time they'll finish what Miyu had started back then, this time she is going to turn up dead but at least she's going to make sure Aya comes out alive and she takes Seiya with her.

 _"Let Aya go, you wanted me here I am, let_ _her go. She's pregnant for god sake."_

 _"That's exactly the reason why I took her in the first place, single_ _arrow two birds kind of thing"_ Her blood boiled as he smiled at her and her jaw tightened.

 _"I can't tell you how much I am going to enjoy torturing you. You slut, you whore how dare you share what is rightfully mine with anyone?"_

 _"You still think I'm yours? How pathetic, I pity you Seiya"_

He took a step forward in anger but she didn't back up, no need to appear weak in front of your enemy.

 _"You really thought I would spend my whole life with you after what you did to me, I really do pity you"_

 _"All I ever wanted was to have a life with you but you kept running away from me but not anymore I am going to finish this now"_

 _"Do you really think you can?"_

 _"Look at you, aren't you scared? After all you're going to die here"_

 _"What makes you so sure that I will?"_

 _"I really do like your confidence"_

 _"Enough with this stupid talk, tell me where is Aya?"_

 _"Not so soon sweetheart, I still have a lot_ _on my mind, oh the things that I want to do to you but first I am going to kill your best friend in front of your eyes, can't wait to see your pain"_ and he waved his hand and a tall strong built guy dressed like The Matrix style dragged Aya into the basement. Hands flew in the air in split seconds as everyone drew out their weapons. Two guns were trained at Miyu, Seiya's and Mikan's while her gun pointed at Seiya.

 _"A scratch on my friend and I am going to shoot you"_

 _"You might've grown up but you're too righteous to shoot anyone"_ Seiya said.

 _"You'll be surprised by what I can do"_

 _"No doubt so how about we cut a deal I'll let your friend go and you drop the gun"_

 _"You think I'm gonna trust you"_

 _"Sorry Miyu but you really are in no place to bargain so how about this, drop your gun or your friend goes down and so will you even if you shoot me"_

Trying to think a way out she kept her gun trained at Seiya. There was no way out and she thought at least others were safe and she prepared herself for the inevitable. As she slowly started to bend down to drop the gun down a shot rang and the guy holding Aya dropped down dead.

 _"What the f…"_

 _"Hold still"_ Mikan trained her gun at Seiya's temple and snatched the gun out of his hand as Miyu rose back to her full height training her gun at Seiya again.

He looked horrified and for the first time in her life Miyu was glad at the registered horror on that face.

 _"Impossible"_

 _"Nah, did you really think you would get away, you're not invincible Seiya"_ she said as she smiled at Mikan who returned her smile.

 _"Oh she's an undercover agent and she's been gathering evidences against all your illegal activities right from the start. You thought she was your right hand too bad she's someone else's hand. You know you'll be surprised to know that you're on the radar of every intelligence agency on this planet; Japanese Intelligence Agency, CIA, MI 6, RAW in short you've topped the hit list of Interpol right from the start"_

 _"I have been working with the governments and I have been very accommodating to keep myself off radar"_

 _"That's because that's what we wanted you to think, that you were free, 'invincible' as you said but too bad that your allegiance was with the wrong kind of people, two-faced just like you accepting your generous pay offs and tipping you off to Interpol at the same time"_

 _"We?"_

 _"Oh that means she's an agent too, you messed with the wrong person this time"_ Mikan said strengthening her hold on him.

 _"Impossible, I've been tracking you since you went off to America for the first time I know exactly what you did and where you were, except for that one year when you…"_

 _"When I went_ _invisible after high school…guess you know now. I've been trained since I was 16. Why do you think I came to Japan? Not because my father was transferred here but because you took up the post of Housho Saionji's legal adviser. I came here because of you I was here to track your activities but you really took up your time to reveal yourself. You didn't come forward till months I guess you were waiting for me to hook up with Kanata Saionji...I think you guesses that it was inevitable"_ she enjoyed every bit of the look he gave her, shock, terror and then he smiled. She frowned.

 _"You think_ _I wasn't prepared for this, oh Miyu how many times I've told you I am invincible and that holds true even now"_ that's when another short rang and Mikan dropped on the floor crying in pain.

 _"No"_ Miyu started towards her, she was her colleague her mentor. She couldn't lose her no way.

 _"Stay where you are" shouted_ Seiya and took out his hand from his his coat revealing another gun _"I never trust anyone so about those evidences they were all fake I knew there was an agent on the inside although i didn't know their identity" - "if you knew you would've killed her earlier" - "I let her believe that they were authentic so you've got nothing against me but I will give you this, I didn't know about you and as for her"_ he trained his gun at Mikan's writhing body.

 _"Drop the gun Seiya or I'll shoot you"_

 _"You are too noble to harm anyone Miyu, it's so sad that you chose the wrong career path, you're not meant to shoot people down and I can bet this is your first case"_

Damn straight he was right but no need for him to know that as they trained their guns at each other.

 _"Let's do this how about you let me leave and you get the chance to save your colleague and your friend, I say fair enough"_

'Damn if those evidences were really not authentic then he was going to go invisible on everyone and her last chance to catch him will slip away but what about her friends' she cursed herself as she saw no other way.

 _"Miyu"_ Kanata's voice echoed as he appeared from the door she had come in.

 _"What the hell are you doing here I told you to secure everyone"_

 _"They're all safe"_

 _"Well, look who's here, you got death wish pretty boy"_

 _"That's true for you ass hole, I recorded everything and I've sent them to the police they'll be here in seconds"_

Now Seiya really did panic as he shifted his target to Kanata instead.

 _"You let me go or I'll shoot your boy"_

Miyu couldn't stand the it anymore as the anger that rocked her was too great, the feeling of being hopeless not being able to do anything was too much and losing everything was far too much " _you bastard, you killed my parents I know you did, you shot my mentor I don't know if she'll live, you tortured my best friend, you forced me to keep my innocent little brother into hiding and now you're threatening me you'll kill the only guy I've ever loved. You ruined my whole life and you're still trying to do more damage, you piece of crap"_

She didn't remember when she pressed the trigger but she did and the bullet went flying and hit his right hand that was holding the gun and another bullet went to his leg incapacitating him as she vaguely heard Kanata shouting while she trained her gun right over his heart.

Seiya looked at her in pure horror the look in her eyes was not of a girl who had been unable to free herself from his clutches all those years ago but of someone who had lost too much and now she was going to avenge everything and was capable of doing some serious damage. He realised he was going to die, he knew she'll shoot him as he closed his eyes to except his fate.

 _"Miyu don't, don't kill him. He deserves to die but not on your conscience please Miyu don't shoot. Police will be here in no time, call your agents inform them instead please Miyu"_ Kanata shouted praying that she would listen but he doubted that she would after all she didn't look like she was listening at all. She looked so livid and he thought with horror that she was going to kill the guy if those officers didn't get here on time.

She couldn't reason herself out of this, she wanted to kill him and avenge everything, her parents deaths, her lost childhood, her separation from her best friends and every other misery he had brought into her life but Kanata was right he was better off executed legally than dead at her hands. If those police officers don't arrive soon and if he tried to be over smart she will shoot him down.

 _"Call the ambulance we need to take them to hospital"_

 _"I already did, you going to make any calls, here"_ he passed her a phone.

Keeping her gun trained at Seiya she called her people.

 _"Hello yeah, I have him and Mikan was shot, I don't know if she is going to make it or not. No it was all sudden I didn't_ _have_ _time to inform anyone. Sent the backup ASAP"_

She waited for the backup to arrive and after almost an eternity it did, she had cuffed his hands and legs together and as they took off with Seiya she knew she had done the right thing by not shooting the guy. If she had then she would have stooped down to his level and she had things to do anyway. First up was to confirm that Mikan was going to make it and then she had to take care of Aya as well.

Finally it was all over and she thought at the irony of the situation. It was pure luck that she had been approached for this case. Although it really was her first case and she had not known then that she would be given this case specifically guess destiny had wanted her to avenge what he had done. Although she had lost her parents along the way but at least she had made the arrest and somehow she hoped her parents would be happy where ever they were, she prayed that they were finally at peace.

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"Yes"_

 _"But why all of sudden"_

 _"The only good that came out of all this was that he was right, I was ready to let him go when he had given me the choice and if it had not been for Kanata I would have done exactly as Seiya had asked me to do. I would have let him go because I didn't want to lose Mikan and I didn't know if Aya was okay or if her baby was okay, I wasn't ready to lose yet another person I care for, I'm not the right person for this job…this job is not for me"_

 _"You're wrong, you made the right call, you didn't shoot him and that was the right thing to do"_

 _"You don't get it, I would've killed him if Kanata had not insisted, if he had not interfered I would have roasted that guy with bullets, you don't know how much I wanted to kill that man"_

 _"But this case was personal for you. You lost your parents and he told us everything about him and you so I know and I understand the urge to kill"_

She simply stared at her boss who had trained her to be an agent. She had learned so much but she knew this wasn't the job for her guess he knew too as he shook his head.

 _"Okay I get it, I can't force you to stay but I can tell you that you were among the best agents who walked out of this academy and it is a great loss for our force that you're resigning. It was nice working with you agent"_ he stood up and shook hands with her. She gave him a nod and walked out heading straight to her apartment.

She had packed everything and now all that was left was to await for the sunrise when she'll board the flight back to New York, back to her brother and her older life. At least she'll be able to take care of her little brother properly no more hiding. She's going to miss her friends. She knew she wouldn't be able to walk away from them for second time so she had not told anyone about this. As she sat in her living room sipping her coffee thinking about Mikan and Aya, they were both alright and the baby was fine too, the doorbell rand and she looked at the clock. 11 PM who could it be she thought as she rose and walked over to the door. She froze to her place as she saw roses, lots of roses of every colour at her doorstep and she looked around. When she didn't see anyone she bent down and picked up the card.

 _'Why do I keep running from the truth?_

 _All I ever think about is you_

 _You got me hypnotised so_ _mesmerised_

 _And I just got to know_

 _Do you ever think?_

 _When you're all alone_

 _All that we could be_

 _Where this thing could go_

 _Am I crazy or falling in love?_

 _Is it real or just another crush_

 _Do you catch your breath?_

 _When I look at you_

 _Are you holding back?_

 _Like the way I do_

 _Cause I'm trying to walk away_

 _But I know this crush ain't going away'_

 _ **You're the only one I've ever loved and you'll always be the only one for me. If I ask you to stay will you stay because**_

 _'I don't want another pretty face_

 _I don't want just anyone to hold_

 _I don't want my love to go to waste_

 _I want you and your beautiful soul_

 _You're the one I wanna chase_

 _You're the one I wanna hold_

 _I won't let another minute go to waste_

 _I want you and your beautiful soul'_

As Miyu read the card tears started to run down her cheeks and she looked up to find Kanata standing in front of her.

 _"So will you stay?"_ he asked and when she didn't reply he asked her again.

 _"Okay stay for your best friends"_ No reply.

 _"No, okay stay for Aya's child, you're the god mother after all and you cannot abandon your future god child"_

 _"No, fine stay for…Mizuki?"_ he asked and Miyu laughed despite of the fact that she was crying so hard. He smiled and then took a step towards her.

 _"You don't know how glad I am that you didn't nod your head, so will you stay…for me"_ he looked so…handsome like always but what made him look better was that his love for her was shining on his face his eyes telling her everything she needed to know and she nodded ever so lightly. He blinked again and she blushed as he realised she was staying.

 _"Oh god Miyu…"_ he kissed her and then touched his forehead to hers as if connecting their souls.

 _"Now will you marry me Miyu_?" when she didn't reply he looked at her.

 _"Come on there's no reason to say no and you don't love anyone else then what is the prob…"_ she didn't let him complete as she kissed his mouth shut.

 _"Yes, you idiot. God save me from mood swings but I'll marry you"_ she smiled at him and he kissed her again and all her friends decided to get out of their hiding place and started to clap. Nanami was hooting as they cheered for the happy couple.

 **SO tell me how was it finally?** i know the story was a bit rushed...i was scared of running out of ideas and i had a complete different ending (a very sad ending with someone dying and all that on my mind) but i am a sucker for happy endings so i decided to go with the classic happily ever after...i really hope you like this story...it is a very special one not just because it's my first but also because part of the story is true that is if you leave out the dramatics...a lot of it is true...I know I rushed this a lot i wanted to add a couple of more chapters but i felt lazy i think...anyway...i hope i didn't disappoint you...thanks a lot for reading and i really hope i'll be able to write more...until then keep reading and keep smiling...thanks a lot!


End file.
